2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV: Real truck, real tech

As a work truck, it was pretty impressive.

There was plenty of durable black plastic cladding outside, a multi-purpose tailgate, and a sprayed-on bed liner. Inside the unadorned interior, the floors were covered with a hose-out rubber-like material, the upholstery was black and there was more black plastic on various touch points.

It said Silverado WT on the tailgate. In Chevy speak, WT means Work Truck.

But there were hints this big white truck was different.

1. The sticker said $80,499 before taxes and delivery.

2. The spec sheet said it weighed almost 9,000 pounds.

3. There were a number of 110 and 220-volt outlets on and inside, connected to 10.2 kW of onboard power – enough to power a house for a day!

Yup – this Chevy pickup was electric, pure electric.

General Motors has spent more than $4 billion big American bucks to retool the Orion, Michigan assembly plant to build this electric truck on the Ultium platform.

But this is more than a Silverado with electric power. The gas and electric Silverados share only a name. The main competitor – the Ford Lightning – is a modified F-150 with the batteries carried inside the frame.

The Chevrolet Silverado EV was developed from the road up as a pure electric vehicle.

It rides on the General Motors’ Ultium ‘skateboard’ platform, and comes in a four-door crew cab body style only, with a 5’11”cargo box. Like the Lightning, it has a large (303-litre) weathertight trunk under the hood up front where an engine would normally reside.

The giant battery pack, to blame for all that weight, is an integral part of the chassis.

It can be made to suit larger (GMC Hummer EV) or smaller (Chevrolet Blazer EV) GM vehicles according to the number and position of the cells and the desired range.

The Silverado EV gets a massive 205 kWh battery pack made up of 24 double-stacked cell modules that sends power to a pair of electric motors, one for the front wheels and one for the rears.

This EV can tow up to 10,000 pounds and carry as much as 1,400 pounds in the cargo bed.

That big battery requires lots of charging.

Here comes the bad news! When I got home and plugged the tester into the 110-volt out on my garage at 3:45 pm on Tuesday, the instrument panel told me it was at 51% capacity. It forecast 80% by 5:45 pm Friday – three days later!

I took it to the nearest 50 kW Flo charger and after one hour, the capacity had increased by 10%. I am a fan of the Flo chargers, for the simple reason they seem to be operating every time I pull up to one. That cannot be said of others, which are out of order about half the time.

The Silverado EV also boasts a bladder-busting range of 724 km on a full charge.

GM says the Silverado EV WT has a range of 724 km on a full charge. I have every reason to believe that is possible without having to rely on tricks to extend range.

GM says you can add up to 160 km of range after only 10 minutes from a 350 kW DC fast charger. I have no reason to doubt that – if you could find such a charger. None exist in eastern Canada that I am aware of.

GM, like some other manufacturers, is now able to use the ultra-reliable and powerful Tesla Supercharger network’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) connectors.

Driving the Silverado EV requires no learning curve once you get past not having to use a key or button to start it up.

Simply get in, step on the brake pedal and the system is activated and ready to go. Get back out of the truck and it shuts off. All that is needed is to have the key fob in your pocket or purse.

There is the issue of not being able to shut if off if you want to sit in the truck for a while. I discovered this was possible through the infotainment screen.

There are many and massive storage provisions throughout from the frunk (front trunk) to the centre console and a bin in the instrument panel. The front seats are comfortable and supportive.

The lucky folks in the rear seat have some serious stretch-out room.

As expected of electric vehicles, acceleration is instant and powerful – not as much in this instance because of the tremendous amount of weight. There are two levels of regenerative braking, On and High, that allow one-pedal driving.

Ride quality is excellent, thanks to all that weight. Handling also benefits from the battery pack – down low and in the middle of the platform.

Chevrolet boasts that “the 2024 Silverado EV is a pickup truck that happens to be electric.”

If cost is no problem and you have access to a powerful charger, the Silverado EV offers real truck abilities combined with new tech and the ability to be among the first.

FACTS AND FIGURES – 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV 4WT

PRICE

Base: $80,499, As tested: $83,724 including freight

SAFETY

Enhanced automatic emergency braking, intersection automatic emergency braking, front pedestrian and bicycle braking, forward collision alert, blind zone steering assist, lane keep assist with lane departure warning, side bicyclist warning, reverse automatic braking, rear cross traffic braking, rear park assist, HD surround vision, rear pedestrian alert

STANDARD EQUIPMENT

18-in aluminum wheels, hitch guidance, adaptive cruise control, dual zone automatic climate control, LED headlights with automatic high beams, heated power mirrors, assist steps, soft roll-up tonneau cover

INFOTAINMENT

Chevrolet Infotainment system includes navigation with Google built-in, 28-cm colour touchscreen, Bluetooth streaming audio, wireless phone projection, satellite radio, 120-volt outlet in console, 240-volt outlet in bed

OPTIONS

Spray-on bed liner, $625

MECHANICAL

Two motor all-wheel-drive system, permanent-magnet AC front motor produces 241-horsepower and 225 lb-ft. of torque, rear induction AC motor, 90-horsepower and 121 lb-ft. Combined output 288-horsepower and 333 lb-ft of torque, liquid-cooled lithium-ion 85 kWh battery with 350 KW fast-charge capability, 19.2 kW onboard charger. one-speed direct drive transmission, NRCan rating (litre equivalents/100 km city/highway) 3.5/4.0

DIMENSIONS

Length, 5,920 mm; width, 2,395 mm; wheelbase, 3,700 mm; weight, 3,950 kg

COMPETITION

Ford F-150 Lightning