Does the Chevy Silverado EV Really Have a 400-Mile Range?
Chevy finds a way to blend the old with the new into the electric Silverado coming for the 2024 model year. This truck arrives in the spring of 2023 as a fleet-oriented Work Truck (WT) model giving us the Chevy meant to compete with the Ford F-150 Lightning. As we make the move to electric trucks, one nagging issue poses a serious question; how far can we drive this electric Chevy truck?
How far with the electric Silverado go?
Chevy brings us something a little different in the Silverado EV. According to Consumer Reports, instead of various driving ranges based on the trim level and power, both Silverado EV models will offer 400 miles of driving range. We’ll have the WT trim when this truck arrives, but the RST version should appear before the end of 2023. No other truck in the market offers 400 miles of driving range yet.
What is the powertrain for the Chevy Silverado EV?
Both versions of this electric truck use a two-motor electric drive system with the option of 4WD to give you an option when choosing how your truck will drive. The WT Trim gives you 510 horsepower and 615 lb.-ft. of torque while the RST reaches 664 horsepower and 780 lb.-ft. of torque.
Capability numbers are limited to 8,000 pounds of towing and 1,200 pounds of payload for the WT model, while the RST can carry 1,300 pounds and tow up to 10,000 pounds. By comparison, the Ford F-150 Lighting has the same towing capacity as the RST model but a higher payload rating at 2,000 pounds.
GM tells us a later version of the WT model will offer up to 20,000 pounds of towing, according to Consumer Reports.
How does this Chevy truck bring some old features back to life?
The new Silverado EV looks a lot like the former Avalanche. It offers a unibody construction and gives us a midgate similar to what the Avalanche offered. The midgate allows the rear window to roll down for longer cargo and the wall separating the rear seats and the bed to fold down for an extended bed length.
The standard bed of the Chey Silverado EV measures 5-feet, 11-inches in length, but when the midgate is open, that length increases to 10-feet, 10-inches. This is a huge advantage in versatility and capability for the Chevy truck.
How long does it take to charge a Silverado EV?
Motor 1 tells us this Chevy truck will add 100 miles of range in only 10 minutes. You must use a DC fast charger at 350kW capacity to accomplish this. This could truly change your workday with the added range that only takes a short time to accomplish. Considering the 400 miles you’ll start with at the beginning of the day, you might not ever need to add more range, but it’s nice to know it doesn’t take long.
How much does the electric Silverado cost?
The initial offerings of WT and RST showcase an extremely wide price range. Car and Driver tells us the WT model should start around $40,000 while a fully loaded RST version will cost $107,000. Future trims will fall between these two numbers to give us more options for this electric truck.
Should you buy a Chevy Silverado EV when it arrives?
If you need more than 8,000 pounds of towing, you’ll do better to buy the Ford F-150 Lightning. While the Silverado EV can tow up to 10,000 pounds, that’s only in the RST model, which costs nearly as much as three Ford EV trucks. On the other hand, if you need the longest driving range in the EV market and want the versatility of the midgate, the Chevy Silverado EV could be the right Chevy truck for you.
