Now that we have the first concrete details about the 2024 Chevy Silverado EV, Chevy’s all-electric pickup, we can finally take a good look at some of what it has to offer. There’s no denying that Electric Vehicles (EVs) are taking the auto industry by storm, and the biggest new market seems to be EV pickups. This makes sense considering just how popular trucks are in general, but there are still a lot of people somewhat hesitant to jump on the EV pickup train until they get a better sense of what these models will offer.
At this point, of the three best selling truck brands in the US, only Ram is yet to reveal the details on its EV pickup entry – we know one is coming, but we just don’t have the official stats on it yet. While Ford was the first to show its hand with the upcoming F-150 Lightning, Chevy is the most recent of the big brands to reveal what it’s been working on with the Silverado EV. It can be easy to dismiss these models as EV gimmicks with little to offer beyond a standard pickup, but the design and engineering going into these trucks are quite exceptional. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some of the features that help the Silverado EV stand out.
One: Impressive Motors and Battery
Obviously, this isn’t shocking since the major feature of the Silverado EV is that it’s an all-electric pickup, but we should still take a moment to look at what that means exactly. The biggest thing that’s held EV trucks back so far was limitations on battery and motor systems to effectively deliver the kind of power and performance needed from them. With its Ultium battery platform, GM has found its solution to these problems, and the design of the Silverado EV is clearly meant to handle a lot of work.
For starters, every model features a pair of motors, one on each axle, so all Silverado EV models feature electric All-Wheel Drive (eAWD). This was something I was particularly curious about because so far, we’ve seen models like the GMC Hummer EV with three motors standard, the F-150 Lightning with two motors standard, and the Tesla Cybertruck with options from one to three motors. At least at launch, the Silverado EV has eAWD baseline, though I wouldn’t be surprised if we see more options available in the future.
The battery system for the Silverado EV is definitely one of its most impressive features, as it’s expected to get up to 400 miles of range from a full charge. In addition to this, it will utilize the latest technology so you can easily charge it at home with either a 120v or 240v connection or use a public DC Fast Charging station. Using DC Fast Charging, the Silverado EV will be able to get about 100 miles of range from just a 10-minute charge.
Two: The Wide Open Watts System
While the battery performance and charging are impressive, every EV model has those things – it’s a bit like bragging about the ability to put gas in a conventional truck. What’s really impressive about the Chevy Silverado EV is the new Wide Open Watts system, which is loosely based on the Watts to Freedom system found on the GMC Hummer EV. Where the Watts to Freedom system is essentially an electric launch control technology that gets you going and then shuts off, the Wide Open Watts system offers more.
With Wide Open Watts, the Silverado EV motors deliver 664 hp and 780 lb-ft of torque, letting it go from 0 to 60 in under 4.5 seconds. But since this is more than simply launch control, the system remains engaged for longer, letting you enjoy it over a more extended period of time. That means this truck is going to feel amazing when you accelerate from a stoplight, merge onto the freeway, and even while towing – and it will keep giving you fantastic power and performance for the long run.
Three: Return of the Midgate
One of the most interesting things about the Chevy Silverado EV is that it not only features Chevy’s impressive Multi-Flex Tailgate but a Multi-Flex Midgate as well. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a good truck with a midgate, and this promises to be incredibly functional – not only does it give you easy access to the bed from within the cabin, but it extends the storage length of the bed too. The standard bed fits items up to nearly 6 feet in length; with the 60/40 split rear seats, you can still have one passenger in the back and up to 9 feet of storage length or completely lower the rear seats and midgate for more than 10 feet of rear bed length.
Four: Impressive Towing and Payload
There’s no denying that one of the biggest points that truck companies fight over is the capability of their pickups, which is to say, the towing and payload. The Silverado EV needs to come out swinging in this regard, which it has with an impressive 10,000 lbs of towing capacity and 1,300 lbs of maximum payload capacity. This is particularly strong because while some Ford F-150 Lightning models can match its 10,000 lbs of towing, other models with the standard battery only offer 7,700 lbs of towing. Considering the fact that Chevy is already working on a fleet-ready model with 20,000 lbs of towing, they definitely have the advantage here.
Five: Four-Wheel Steering
This is an interesting feature of the 2024 Chevy Silverado EV that is likely to get overlooked a lot compared to some of the other systems. The Silverado EV has four-wheel steering that turns all four wheels together in unison. This creates a very tight turning radius for this truck, something that can be an issue when maneuvering full-size pickups like this in tight quarters or while parking. Combine this with the available adaptive air-ride suspension, and you have a truck that is very comfortable and responsive to your commands behind the wheel.
Six: Trailering-Capable Super Cruise
It was pretty much a given that the all-new Silverado EV would have GM’s impressive Super Cruise technology, but it’s nice to see they’ve made it custom-tailored to the needs of a truck. Super Cruise is GM’s hands-free semi-autonomous driving tech, something every manufacturer is developing right now, which lets you drive without your input on over 200,000 miles of roads in the US and Canada. The version of Super Cruise with the Silverado EV supports towing, so even when you’re getting work done, it can help handle a lot of your driving for your and make extended trips much less demanding.
Seven: Innovative Interior
Ever since Tesla became the leader in EV models, there’s been a race to develop EV interiors that can compete with their design and aesthetic. For the Silverado EV, Chevy has kept it pretty conventional overall; they’ve simply made it the best expression of a truck interior possible. The RST model features a 17-inch free-form infotainment display that’s angled toward the driver, along with an 11-inch reconfigurable driver instrument display and a multi-color head-up display with a 14-inch field of view. Combine these tech features with a large center console giving you a lot of space for storage and a panoramic fixed glass roof, and you’ve got an impressive interior designed to showcase the next generation of Chevy pickup performance.
