Yahoo Autos 2024 Chevy Silverado EV 4WT Pickup Gets to Work
Things are heating up in the electric pickup segment. Rivian's R1T makes for a bold initial showing from the startup manufacturer, while Ford's F-150 Lightning is a strong counteroffensive aimed at warming up customers to the idea of a traditional full-size truck powered by electrons. General Motors, on the other hand, went full send with the outrageous GMC Hummer EV SUT, which forms the basis for the latest player on the field, the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV. Although the bow-tie brand has only let us drive a fleet-specific 4WT model thus far, this relatively humble work truck serves as a primer for what we can expect when the first customer models go on sale later this year.
Casting the silhouette of a born-again Chevy Avalanche, the Silverado EV is a clean-sheet design that shares virtually nothing in common with existing internal-combustion Silverados. Think of it as a more palatable version of the bonkers Hummer, with the simplified 4WT model outfitted for the roughly 350 fleet customers who've raised their hands for highly capable, long-range electric trucks they can integrate into their job sites. For Chevrolet, the benefits of this approach include a single initial build configuration, plus valuable feedback on how its new rig handles rigorous duty cycles, or so the thinking goes.
A Compelling Foundation
The 4WT is a no-frills alternative to the Silverado EV RST First Edition that Chevy will release to the public this fall. That truck's dual-motor, all-wheel-drive powertrain will produce up to 754 horsepower and at least 785 pound-feet of torque, and it will feature standard air springs, rear-wheel steering, a removable mid-gate bed extender behind the passenger compartment, and upscale interior furnishings that better reflect its $106,895 starting price. In contrast, the dual-motor 4WT is spartan inside, rides on conventional coil springs, and does without the mid-gate and rear-steering hardware. Output comes in at a tamer 510 horses and 615 pound-feet.
However, both initial Silverado EV models feature the same Ultium battery pack—a 24-module, 2923-pound behemoth—shared with the Hummer EV pickup. Based on Chevy's claim that it has slightly improved upon the estimated 205.0 kilowatt-hours of usable capacity in the GMC's pack, we estimate the 4WT's battery at 215.0 kilowatt-hours—enough to earn it a 450-mile range figure from the EPA (the RST is rated for 400 miles, and a 3WT with a lesser pack and a 350-mile range launches later). It's also enough juice to support the truck's seven power outlets, including an array of hookups in the bed, which together provide up to 7.2 kilowatts of power to run a suite of tools and appliances—even your house for limited periods. Adding an accessory inverter increases those figures to 10 outlets and a heady 10.2 kilowatts. Unlike GMC with the Hummer, Chevy will print the Silverado's not-great MPGe efficiency numbers (63 combined/67 city/59 highway) on its window sticker even though its weight is far above the 8500-pound GVW threshold where the company doesn't have to.
The Silverado EV employs a 400-volt architecture, but a neat trick that allows the two layers of its battery pack to switch from a parallel to series connection for fast-charging allows it to charge at 800 volts and gobble electrons at up 350 kilowatts. Chevy claims that 100 miles of range can be added in around 10 minutes. GM's integrated charging network currently encompasses more than 130,000 locations. More will be added in the coming years as its EVs are adapted for compatibility with Tesla's 12,000-unit network of U.S. fast chargers, with the eventual goal being GM's full-scale switch to Tesla's North American Charging Standard (NACS) plug. Perhaps just as important for those operating in remote areas, the Silverado EV also can be used to offload power to other EVs.
The Silverado EV 4WT's range, combined with an estimated 60-mph time of 5.4 seconds, is respectable considering the truck weighs around 8500 pounds—about half a ton less than the last Hummer EV pickup we tested yet still heavy enough to crush our scales, not to mention almost anything that gets in its way. But Chevy has made good use of the Silverado EV's foundation: The 4WT is now rated to tow up to 10,000 pounds (up from Chevy's early 8000-pound estimate) and is good to haul 1440 pounds (up from 1200) in its five-foot-11-inch cargo bed. It also can swallow several carry-on bags in its 11-cubic-foot frunk. For a rough comparison, Ford's significantly lighter F-150 Lightning (by more than 1600 pounds) tops out at 320 miles of range, while its towing and hauling maximums stand at 10,000 and 2235 pounds, respectively.
