Advertisement

As Chevy Silverado EV Charges after Ford F-150 Lightning, How They Compare

Photo credit: Car and Driver
Photo credit: Car and Driver
  • When the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV goes on sale in 2023, the Ford F-150 Lightning will have been on sale for a year already.

  • Both trucks offer 10,000-pound towing capacities, but the Silverado has more range and performance.

  • The Silverado EV starts at $39,900 (plus the mandatory destination charge), and the F-150 Lightning will likely cost around $42,000 to start.

Ford's electric F-150 Lightning will have been on sale for a year before Chevy's new Silverado EV arrives. Ram says it will tag along a year after that with the electric version of its full-size pickup. These electric pickup's gas-powered counterparts are their respective brand's bestsellers, and they hope to continue the success in the growing field of electric pickups.

Range is the all important number when it comes to electric vehicles, and, although the EPA's estimates of either truck have not yet been announced, both automakers have made claims. The Chevy Silverado is targeting up to 400 miles of range from its available 200-kWh Ultium battery pack, while Ford says the F-150 Lightning will offer up to 300 miles of range with its 131.0-kWh Extended Range battery and 230 miles with the 98.0-kWh Standard Range pack. Both electric trucks can offload energy to power a house and even other EVs. The Silverado will provide 10.2 kilowatts while the F-150 Lightning can provide 9.6 kilowatts.

Photo credit: Ford
Photo credit: Ford

Towing is also imperative, and both of these electric trucks can tow up to 10,000 pounds. However, Chevy says that a future Silverado EV variant will be able to tow up to 20,000 pounds, putting it in heavy duty territory (a diesel Silverado 3500HD is max rated at 36,000 pounds). Nonetheless, based on our recent EV towing test, we'd wager that towing anywhere near these trucks' max towing ratings will likely cut the range numbers stated above more than half. Something the Silverado offers but the Lightning doesn't is a midgate that can be lowered in a 60/40 split to lengthen the bed.

ADVERTISEMENT

Both electric pickups come standard with dual-motor setups providing all-wheel-drive. Base Silverado WT (work trucks) will offer 510 horsepower and 615 pound-feet of torque, but the top RST model offers a launch control mode called Wide Open Watts that enables 664 horsepower and 780 pound-feet of torque and a claimed sub-4.5-second sprint to 60 mph. Ford says the F-150 Lightning will reach 60 mph in the mid-4.0-second range with the bigger pack, which has 563 horsepower and 775 pound-feet, so stay tuned to see which is quicker when we take them to the test track.

Photo credit: Chevrolet
Photo credit: Chevrolet

Where the F-150 Lightning looks similar to the gas-powered truck, the Silverado EV shares nothing with its internal-combustion model. We think it resembles the Avalanche, but Chevy denies any inspiration from the pickup that was discontinued in 2013. It's available only as a crew-cab configuration, like the F-150 Lightning, with a 5.9-foot bed. The Silverado EV is built on the same architecture as the GMC Hummer EV, and it has independent suspension front and rear just like the Ford.

Screens dominate the interiors of both of these electric trucks. The Silverado EV offers a 17.0-inch touchscreen and an 11.0-inch digital gauge cluster, while the F-150 Lightning has a similar interior to the gas version but with an available 15.5-inch vertically oriented touchscreen and 12.0-inch digital gauges. Both trucks are available with hands-free-driving technology: General Motors' Super Cruise, which works on more than 200,000 miles of pre-mapped highways, and Ford's BlueCruise, which has over 100,000 miles of usable highway.

Ford F-150 Lightning orders will open this month, and the first trucks will arrive in the spring, starting at $41,669. You can place a reservation for the Silverado EV now, and it'll arrive in 2023 starting at $39,900 plus a not yet announced destination charge.

You Might Also Like