Update: ‘Price & Release Date’ section updated with ‘Showcased at regional auto shows’ heading.
In its virtual CES 2022 keynote, GM took the covers off the highly anticipated Chevrolet Silverado EV RST. The new Ultium-powered electric pickup will lock horns with Ford’s F-150 Lightning, and unlike its main competitor, the Silverado EV is not a ‘conversion’ of a gas-engined pickup, but rather an EV built from the ground up.
Design
GM has designed the Chevrolet Silverado EV to look completely different from the combustion-powered Silverado. The Detroit-based automaker hasn’t gone overboard with something radical like the Tesla Cybertruck, though.
GM is expecting the range of the Chevrolet Silverado EV to be over 400 miles. Image Source: GM
The Chevrolet electric pickup truck flaunts several new-age design cues. At the front, it features split headlamps with ultra-slim DRLs and marker lights on the top and compact main lights in the center, a rectangular concave enclosed upper grille, and an illuminated Chevrolet logo. A high-mounted hood with power domes and a rectangular lower grille are among the few conventional touches at the front.
The Silverado EV features a frunk or an ‘eTrunk’ in GM parlance. The lockable, weatherproof compartment where you’d normally see a big internal combustion engine has enough space to accommodate a large hard-side suitcase plus many accessories.
The Silverado EV looks almost like a normal pickup on the sides, featuring straight lines, trapezoidal fender flares, chunky rocker panels, etc. The huge 24-inch wheels in an extra-aerodynamic design are the only EV tell-tale sign here.
The Chevy Silverado EV will probably be the first vehicle, at least in the U.S., available with factory-fitted 24-inch wheels. Even the outlandish Hummer EV Pickup doesn’t come with wheels larger than 22 inches. The Silverado EV RST First Edition GM showcased at the world premiere sported 24-inch wheels wrapped in Michelin LT275/50 R24 tires. The future is now, as GM Vice President of Global Design Michael Simcoe told Brembo Red back in 2019, that “where we are today now, an 18-inch wheel is a small wheel” and “24 and 26 (inch) are the sizes where we’re approaching.
At the rear, things look pretty standard. The tail lamps flow out further onto the sides, and their clusters carry a techy design.
Interior
The Chevrolet Silverado EV interior features a new touchscreen infotainment system and a “segment-leading” fixed-glass roof that offers “expansive visibility.” Image Source: GM
Inside, the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV tries to pull off the modern car look with a contemporary dashboard featuring curvatures and bold cut-outs, a compact steering wheel, horizontal AC vents, a slim climate control panel, and a floating panel housing an 11-inch fully digital instrument cluster and a 17-inch touchscreen infotainment system. GM designers have thrown in a head-up display as well, which projects information over 14 inches. Ultifi, a new Linux-based software platform, is at the helm of the various electronics in the cockpit area.
GM has confirmed the availability of a “segment-leading” fixed-glass roof on the 2024 Silverado EV. This is the company’s first full-size truck model which offers a fixed-glass roof. Providing a greater sense of openness and increased headroom, this feature is exclusive to the retail version. Also note the almost flat floor section in the rear seat, where three adults could travel comfortably.
Lear to supply Silverado EV seats
On March 9, 2022, Lear Corporation announced that GM had awarded it the contract for supplying front and rear seats for the Chevy Silverado EV. The seats will be manufactured at Lear’s new facility in Detroit, where operations will begin in mid-2022. The finished seats would be transported to GM’s factory Zero in Detroit-Hamtramck.
The second row would have a 40:60 split design and allow four configurations, allowing customers great flexibility. On the RST model, the second-row seats will tumble at the press of a button. The second-row seats would also fold flat, allowing the bed to extend to 9 feet, thanks to the Multi-Flex mid-gate, which collapses the wall between the cabin and the cargo area. It seems like practicality and convenience would go hand-in-hand on the Silverado EV.
Observations made by the American media
The American press got a chance to see the Silverado EV RST up-close at the 2022 Chicago Auto Show. In a walkaround video on YouTube, Autoblog News Editor Joel Stocksdale said that the Silverado EV (RST) looks “very different” from the gas-powered version. The proportions are different, and the cab is farther forward, the rear pillars are much thicker, and the nose is lower and more aerodynamic, Stocksdale noted. However, the overall size is similar.
YouTube channel TFLnow’s walkaround video of the Silverado EV RST provides a detailed look at its frunk and showed a split horizontal light bar that illuminates that area on opening. TFLnow is impressed with the giant 24-inch wheels of the electric pickup!
Joe Raiti of YouTube channel Raiti’s Rides also saw the Silverado EV RST in person at the Chicago Auto Show and said they’re “absolutely stunning.” Raiti loved the clean style of the cabin, including the usage of off-white color along with black. In addition to the sporty two-tone color scheme and the contrasting red stitching, the interior designers have used Alcantara to give the customers a premium feel. Raiti points out that there are plenty of large storage spaces for the driver and front passenger.
Specifications
GM says that it has developed the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV from the ground up on its Ultium EV platform. It’s referring to the “third-generation global EV platform” that underpins the GMC Hummer EV Pickup. Instead of a leaf spring rear suspension like the ICE Silverado, the EV features an independent rear suspension setup that should reduce body roll and improve ride comfort. An automatic adaptive air suspension allows raising or lowering the height up to two inches.
The Chevy Silverado EV will be available with up to 10 feet, 10 inches of load floor length. Image Source: GM
Performance & Range
GM hasn’t revealed the complete specifications of the 2024 Silverado EV, but it has mentioned that one of the powertrains will provide 510 hp and 615 lb-ft of torque and another configuration will provide up to 664 hp and more than 780 lb-ft of torque. The latter will have two motors, one for each axle, and with an ‘Open Watts Mode,’ 0-60 mph acceleration will take less than 4.5 seconds in this configuration.
GM has confirmed up to 1,300 pounds of payload capacity and up to 20,000 pounds of towing capacity. At least one of the configurations features a 5-foot-11-inch bed, and with a ‘Multi-Flex Midgate’, it’s possible to achieve 9 feet of storage length between the cab and the tailgate with the Midgate open. An available ‘Multi-Flex Tailgate’ enables up to 10 feet, 10 inches of load floor length. Another point worth noting in the storage aspect is that the rear glass is removable.
With an internally estimated range of up to over 400 miles, GM expects customers not to feel range anxiety. It could be planning the product with the biggest of Ultium battery packs with an energy storage capacity of 200 kWh in the top-spec configuration. The 2024 Silverado EV supports 800-volt DC fast chargers and can accept up to 350 kW of power. The company expects a 10-minute charge to provide approximately 100 miles of range.
The 2024 Silverado EV supports bidirectional charging, which means customers will be able to charge other EVs, light up their homes, and use power tools with the energy stored in the battery pack. GM has equipped this electric pickup with a ‘PowerBase’ charging system that offers up to 10 power outlets. The EV can supply up to 10.2 kW of power.
Rear-axle steering
Video Source: YouTube/Chevrolet
The Chevrolet Silverado EV will be optionally available with rear-axle steering, or ‘Four-Wheel Steer’ as the official branding. Rear-axle steering will provide the electric pickup greater agility and stability at high speeds, like when changing lanes on the highway. More importantly, at low speeds, as in urban conditions, it will reduce the turning radius, making U-turns easy. Greater trailering dynamics would be another advantage for customers checking this option in their orders.
Super Cruise trailering
The 2024 Silverado EV will come with trailering-capable Super Cruise for autonomous driving. The infotainment system of the Silverado EV could automatically display Super Cruise compatible roads in the navigation and show them during route selection. Super Cruise capabilities available on the full-size electric pickup may include hands-free lane change on highways and hands-free trailering. GM currently does not allow hands-free lane change while trailering, but that could change in the future.
GM claims that Super Cruise is the first true hands-free driver-assistance technology. Currently, drivers can use Super Cruise over 200,000 miles of compatible roads across the U.S. and Canada. The company plans to offer it on 22 models across brands by 2023. To date, customers have driven approximately 10 million miles using hands-free driver-assistance technology.
Production
Production of the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV will take place at GM’s Factory Zero assembly plant in Detroit and Hamtramck (Michigan), USA. The company’s Orion Assembly plant (Michigan), USA, will also build the Silverado EV, starting in 2024. This factory, which currently builds the infamous Bolt EV, will need to go under a conversion to build Ultium-powered electric pickups, and GM plans to pour USD 4 billion into the transformation. Changes at this site brought by the new investment will include facility and production capacity expansion, including new general assembly and battery pack assembly areas and new body and paint shops.
Doug Parks, Executive Vice President of Global Product Development, Purchasing, and Supply Chain, GM, has revealed the SOP timeline. On December 9, 2021, during the Deutsche Bank AutoTech Brokers Conference, Parks said that the production of the Silverado EV will commence in early 2023.
GM has confirmed that it will manufacture the 2024 Silverado EV’s EDU castings at its Bedford Casting Operations facility in Indiana. With an investment of more than USD 51 million, the company will install new equipment needed to support manufacturing the EDU castings of the electric pickup truck and other current casting applications at the aluminum die casting foundry. Renovation work at the 1 million sq. ft. site, which currently produces EDU castings for the 2022 GMC Hummer EV Pickup and 2024 GMC Hummer EV SUV, began last year.
The Silverado electric pickup truck may go far east to Australia and New Zealand as well at some point, through the General Motors Speciality Vehicles (GMSV) division. The ICE Silverado is available in the Oceanic markets through GMSV.
Price & Release Date
The Chevrolet Silverado EV launch in the U.S. will be held in spring 2023, starting with the Work Truck (WT) trim, which will cost USD 39,990 MSRP (excl. destination charge) onwards from a later date (once production ramps up). In fall 2023, a fully loaded RST First Edition trim costing USD 105,000 MSRP (excl. destination charge) will follow. Eventually, the Silverado EV’s line-up will include Trail Boss and more trims, and customers will be able to buy it at various MSRPs, around USD 50,000, USD 60,000, USD 70,000, USD 80,000, and more, GM said.
We will launch a Work Truck model in spring of 2023, offering an expected GM estimated range of at least 400 miles on a full charge. Additional lower range Work Truck models will follow, giving customers a variety of choices with different ranges and price points to meet their needs, including a base model and a very competitive starting MSRP of USD 39,900 plus dealer freight.
Mary Barra, Chair and CEO, GM (CES 2022 keynote on January 5, 2022)
Reservations for the Silverado EV opened just after the premiere. In an interview with Bloomberg Technology (via Youtube) on January 6, 2022, Barra said that the first edition of the Chevrolet Silverado EV RST was sold out in 12 minutes. The reservations for the EV pickup truck are still pouring in, she added. However, it is unclear how many first edition models were up for grabs, to begin with.
Additionally, the reservation of the RST could be completed with a token amount of just $100, which is fully refundable. Hence, the reservations might not directly translate into sales which is why the Silverado RST being “sold out” might not truly reflect its demand. GM said in its 2021 Full-Year letter to shareholders that the electric truck has more than 110,000 reservations.
Our next electric pickup will be the Chevrolet Silverado EV. More than 110,000 Silverado EVs are reserved so far, including reservations from more than 240 fleet operators, and the numbers keep growing.
2021 Full-Year and Q4 Letter to GM Shareholders by Mary Barra, on February 1, 2022
Showcased at regional auto shows
With the market launch still a year away, GM has decided to take the Silverado EV on a trip across America this year. After showcasing the electric truck at the 2022 Chicago Auto Show, the company put it on display at the 2022 New York International Auto Show (April 13-24, 2022), allowing potential customers to see it in person well ahead its arrival at dealerships. The video embedded below gives a quick tour of a 2023 Silverado EV RST put on display at NYIAS 2022:
Video Source: YouTube/Consumer Reports
While the Ford F-150 Lightning will be the chief rival, tough competition will come from the Rivian R1T, too, which went on sale in October 2021, as well as the Tesla Cybertruck. GM has committed $35 billion to electric vehicles and autonomous vehicles between 2020 and 2025. By that year, it plans to launch 30 EVs and make two-thirds (20) of them available in North America.
The Canadian launch plan is similar. A Silverado EV WT with a 400-mile range (GM estimate) will debut in spring 2023, and in fall 2023, the fully-loaded Silverado EV RST First Edition, also offering a 400-mile range (GM estimate), will debut. The latter will cost CAD 119,948 (USD 95,365). Reservations for the 2024 Silverado EV RST First Edition are full now. Once the production ramps up, the Silverado EV WT will gain a new entry-level configuration costing CAD 52,448 (USD 41,699).
Fleet & Commercial versions in the Chevrolet Silverado EV family
GM expects a chunk of 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV sales from the fleet and commercial customers and has designed the Chevrolet Silverado EV Work Truck (WT) for this application. Mark Reuss, President, GM, said during his speech at the Factory Zero Allocation event in Detroit in April 2021 that they are “a crucial part of the EV market, especially initially.” The company has planned a few configurations that particularly appeal to retail and fleet customers, for these might be the buyers who bring the required high volumes. Reuss also said that the Silverado EV will pack not only features customers would expect from it but also “some innovations they can’t even imagine yet.”
This all-new full-size pickup is designed from the ground up as an electric truck, harnessing the best of the Ultium technology and the proven capability of our current production Silverado. Silverado will go all-electric with a GM-estimated range of more than 400 miles on a full charge. Retail and fleet versions of the Silverado electric pickup will offer customers a variety of innovative options and configurations. I’m particularly excited about its potential in the fleet and commercial space, a crucial part of the EV market, especially initially. We have models designed especially for fleet and commercial truck customers that I know they’re going to love.
Mark Reuss, President, GM (Factory Zero Allocation – Detroit), in April 2021
Private Preview Feedback
Last year, GM showcased the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV to prospective customers at a closed-door event and received positive responses. This came straight from Mary Barra, the Chair and CEO of GM, during the Q1 2021 earnings conference call in May 2021.
Barra said that the initial interest in the Silverado EV “has been overwhelming,” particularly from government and commercial customers. The select few who previewed the exterior and interior of the upcoming electric pickup truck said it “exceeded their high expectations, with zero emissions, long-range, pickup capability, innovative storage, and strong value along with a powerful design.”
During the Q3 2021 earnings conference call held on October 27, 2021, Barra revealed that GM had shown the Silverado EV to dealers as well. The dealers had also found the Silverado EV to be impressive, Barra said.
Our next EV reveal will be the Chevrolet Silverado EV, and I can tell you the truck is amazing. Our dealers love it.
Mary Barra, Chair and CEO, GM (Q3 2021 earnings conference call on October 27, 2021)
Barra said that through great design and engineering, the Silverado EV will evoke passion and enthusiasm. The company-wide belief is that this model will drive the adoption of electric vehicles, particularly in the truck category. The Silverado EV will be a “redefinition” in taking pickup trucks to a new level based on the capabilities of the Ultium platform and the company’s understanding of what owners want and prospects who aren’t its traditional truck buyers.
F-150 Lightning – The main alternative
According to the data collected by the Silverado EV Forums on January 24, 2022, with a sample size of over 100 members, it is revealed that almost 52% of Silverado EV reservation holders consider the F-150 to be the prime alternative to the Chevy electric pickup truck. The other options on the list included the Tesla Cybertruck (22.2%), GMC Hummer EV (13.6%), Rivian R1T (8.6%), GMC Sierra EV (1.2%), and others (2.5%). This could be down to the fact that the deliveries for the F-150 begin in the spring and expanded production would make the truck available widely.
PG&E and GM join forces for vehicle-to-home charging
The Silverado EV’s battery pack could soon be used to power the American household. The Pacific Gas and Electric Company and GM have joined hands for a pilot project that enables the usage of GM EVs to supply power to customer homes. The project includes bidirectional charging hardware and software-based communications to allow GM EV’s battery to power customer homes. GM believes that electric vehicles are no longer just mobility tools but can also be reliable energy sources.
Initially, a small subset of customers will receive power from GM EVs when the grid power supply is halted. A key area would be to make vehicle-to-home charging east, so GM engineers are developing a user-friendly system that’s not complicated to initiate. GM and PG&E will test the first pilot project by summer 2022, and large-scale trials will begin by the end of 2022. The trials would also open up new areas of research for battery development.
Chevrolet Silverado EV FAQs
What is the Chevrolet Silverado EV release date?
The Silverado EV RST is estimated to reach U.S. dealers in Fall 2023. The basic Work Truck variant precedes it in Spring 2023.
Which pickup truck models will compete with the Silverado EV?
The Chevy Silverado EV will challenge the Tesla Cybertruck, Ford F-150 Lightning, RAM Electric truck (1500 BEV) & Rivian R1T.
What is the Chevrolet Silverado EV price?
Customers can buy it at various MSRPs, starting at USD 39,990 for the Work Truck, and USD 105,000 for the fully-loaded RST First Edition.
Featured Image Source: GM
Keyword: Chevrolet Silverado EV RST – Everything we know in April 2022