Chevrolet's All-Electric 2023 Silverado EV Truck
We’ve said it a few times here at GreenCars that fully-electric pickups will be the turning point for the industry. Pickups are far and away the most popular vehicles in the country – and if pickup buyers are willing to embrace electric driving, the rest of the market will follow. With the announcement of the Silverado EV, Chevrolet is the latest carmaker to embrace the EV truck trend – and the specs for its new electrified truck are impressive indeed.
Looking like a cross between the current Silverado and the Chevy Avalanche from a few years ago, the Silverado EV has been developed from the ground up as a fully-electric truck on GM’s advanced Ultium EV Platform. So while it shares a family look with its gasoline brethren, it is engineered completely differently, offering a boundary-breaking combination of capability, performance and versatility – and a bevy of high-tech gadgets.
Currently only available in four-door crew cab configuration, the Silverado EV is available as a flagship “RST” trim for luxurious personal use, or as a sturdy “WT” trim for work use. A shorter front overhang that gives the truck a more aggressive stance as well as increasing interior space; passengers over 6 feet tall will be comfortable no matter where they sit.
Chevy Silverado EV: Range, Power and Tech
From a technical perspective, the Silverado EV takes full advantage of GM’s Ultium platform, which is the foundation of the company’s EV strategy. A new body architecture, which uses the battery pack as a part of the fundamental structure, enables the vehicle’s impressive EPA-estimated range of up to 400 miles on a full charge. 350-kW DC fast charging is among the best in the industry, enabling drivers to add an estimated 100 miles of range in just 10 minutes on the right chargers. Vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability offers up to 10 electric outlets on the truck that can be used to power work tools, recreational devices, or even your home in an emergency.
The WT will launch first for commercial customers, and has 510-hp and 615 lb-ft of torque, with capacity to tow 8,000 pounds and carry 1,200 pounds of payload; a fleet model will follow with up to 20,000 pounds max trailering with the max tow package. The RST offers up to 664-hp and 780 lb-ft of torque in “wide open” mode, and can dash to 60 km/h in just 4.5 seconds – impressive for such a large, heavy vehicle. It can tow up to 10,000 pounds and haul 1,300 pounds of payload. All-wheel drive is standard on both models, as is adaptive air suspension and four-wheel steering for better maneuverability.
The Silverado EV is packed with technology. The cabin features a large 17-inch-diagonal LCD screen paired with an 11-inch driver information display and head-up display. With hands-free start, the vehicle turns on automatically after the driver enters with an enabled device. Ultifi, a new Linux-based software platform, separates the vehicle’s software from the hardware to enable rapid and frequent software updates over the air.
GM is being mum so far about two things: first, the size of the battery, which will affect overall charging times, even with the 350-kW capability; and second, the overall weight of the Silverado EV. GM’s first all-terrain EV, the GMC Hummer pickup, weighs a staggering 9,000 pounds!
How Much is the Silverado EV?
Full pricing and availability details for the Silverado EV have yet to be announced. However, GM says that the WT will be delivered in spring 2023 with the 400-mile battery, with the luxurious RST following in the fall of 2023. Loaded up with the longest-range battery and all the options, expect to pay upwards of a $105,000 MSRP for an RST. Further Silverado EVs will follow in various price ranges, spanning the gap from the low-$40,000 MSRP range all the way up to an MSRP of $100,000. Soon enough, there should be a Silverado EV for just about everyone.
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