Chevy confirms that an all-electric Silverado is on its way
Although General Motors tapped the GMC Hummer to spearhead its EV invasion, we knew it wouldn’t be long before Chevy’s stalwart Silverado got involved. Chevy just confirmed that an all-electric Silverado is indeed on the way.
The electric Silverado will join battery-powered pickups from newcomers like Rivian and Bollinger Motors as well as more established players, like the electric Ford F-150. The truck will be built right here in the states, at GM’s new Factory ZERO assembly plant in Hamtramck, Michigan, alongside the Hummer truck and SUV. Like the Hummer siblings—and every other GM EV announced thus far—the new Silverado will ride on GM’s new Ultium platform.
“Chevrolet will take everything Chevy’s loyal truck buyers love about Silverado—and more—and put it into an electric pickup that will delight retail and commercial customers alike,” said Mark Reuss, president of GM.
That last bit has us intrigued. If there’s one group of customers that will immediately sniff out the weaknesses of an EV truck, it’s commercial buyers. For instance: Fully charged, GM estimates that the EV Silverado will offer more than 400 miles of range. That’s likely with the biggest battery pack; expect cheaper, less-potent configurations with shorter ranges as well. The big question: How will, ahem, normal truck duties like towing and hauling affect that best-case-scenario figure? We’d expect the Silverado EV’s 400-mile range to take a dive when lugging a trailer full of lumber.
It’s worth pointing out that none of these EV pickups are on sale as of this writing—every model seems just out of reach. GM has a tendency to make an EV announcement only to note that the production version is still years away—hello, Cadillac Lyriq—so we’re not holding our breath that the Silverado EV is arriving in showrooms any time in 2021. (GM says the Hummer should be on sale by early 2023—and that’s only the most luxe configuration.) Regardless, it’s good to see GM putting resources towards electrifying one of Americans’ most beloved vehicles. If and when it arrives, a compelling electric pickup would do much to convince the public that EVs are more than urban fashion accessories.
