When you set a goal for yourself, do you find that you do better working toward or meeting that goal if someone else knows about it and holds you accountable? That certainly seems to be the case for GM after the American automaker announced its plans to deliver over one million electric vehicles globally by 2025 to lead the North American EV market. With the entire world holding GM accountable to meet its goal, GM is certainly off to a great start with the recent announcement of the all-new Chevrolet Silverado EV that you’ll find at your local electric car dealer by 2023 at the earliest.
What do we know about the Silverado EV? Is the truck the EV that we’ve all been waiting for? While details about the truck are scarce, it’s safe to say that GM is holding itself accountable by unleashing every ounce of innovation in its wheelhouse to deliver one of the most capable electric trucks ever made. In turn, drivers will reap the benefits of stunning models like the Silverado EV that will truly change the automotive landscape.
Where It Begins: Factory ZERO
Any goal starts with a solid plan. For GM, that plan began in January 2020 when the automaker invested $2.2 billion to remodel its Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant in what’s now the largest renovation and retooling of a manufacturing facility in GM history. Let’s just say the remodel isn’t your typical DIY-er.
The investment will equip the facility with the advanced technology and tooling needed to build sustainable, all-electric trucks and SUVs. By October 2020, GM renamed the plant Factory ZERO to reflect GM’s vision of a future with zero crashes, zero emissions, and zero congestion. This vision begins with models like the GMC Hummer EV, the Silverado EV, and the Hummer EV SUV as GM President Mark Reuss announced, “The vehicles coming from Factory ZERO will change the world and how the world views electric vehicles.”
How It Performs: Ultium Technology
One of the most significant innovations we see from GM’s push for an all-electric future is the debut of its Ultium battery technology, which will power the 2023 Silverado EV as well as the Hummer EV. Part of GM’s mission is to make EVs more accessible and affordable to everyone and, for GM, that starts with creating a powerful, reliable, and affordable battery. Ultium batteries are exactly that and are setting a new standard in the EV market because of their large-format, pouch-style design that makes them stackable to optimize battery energy storage and layout in a variety of vehicles.
Because the batteries are stackable, you’ll also find a wide range of energy options from 50 kWh to 200 kWh. Experts project the Silverado EV will offer several power options, including a 200 kWh setup that’s projected to deliver a 400-mile range on a full charge, 1,000 horsepower, and a 0 to 60 mph launch in as little as three seconds. This sets the stage for the Silverado EV to be an exceptional powerhouse with loads of capability that won’t come at a premium.
How It’s Offered: Trims
GM’s plans to lead the EV segment in North America isn’t something the automaker is taking lightly. We see that especially in their efforts to minimize the cost of batteries to make EVs more affordable and accessible to a variety of budgets. This is also apparent in the Silverado EV, which will be offered as a fleet vehicle and on Chevy’s retail side. “What’s especially important is that this truck will be in a high-volume entry, and one of the most popular and competitive segments in the industry,” GM CEO Mary Barra said of the all-new Silverado. What does this mean?
Civilians looking for a fully loaded Silverado EV will certainly have plenty of options, but the fact that GM will make the truck available as a fleet vehicle will dramatically impact businesses that rely on transportation to provide their services. Businesses who invest in the Silverado EV as a fleet vehicle will likely see a large return on their investment. EVs don’t run on fuel, nor do they require the same maintenance as gas or diesel-powered trucks. This translates to more long-term savings and is compounded when you add in GM’s exceptional EV warranty program as well as its efforts to make EV batteries more affordable to replace. That’s money that businesses can reinvest into the company itself.
How It’s Covered: Warranty
GM is keeping a tight lid on details of the Silverado EV, and that leads to a lot of speculation. GM hasn’t yet released anything about the truck’s towing and payload capacity, its interior options, or its infotainment, connectivity, and safety features. We’re not even sure what type of warranty and maintenance coverage will it offer?
While a lot can change by the time the Silverado EV makes its debut, it’s safe to say that Chevy will remain true to its reputation for providing outstanding warranty and maintenance coverage on its fleet. Today, every new Chevy EV comes with a Bumper-to-Bumper Limited Warranty that covers 3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first. Eligible warrantable repairs do not require a deductible, which means even more savings for Chevy drivers. Chevy EVs also come with an Electric and Hybrid Warranty that covers specific electric propulsion components for 8 years or 100,000 miles.
Beyond these warranties, every new Chevy also comes with a complimentary maintenance visit that includes an oil change, tire rotation, and multi-point vehicle inspection within the first year or 12,000 miles. To give you even more peace of mind when you’re on the road, you’ll also have access to Chevy’s 24-hour Roadside Assistance Program that offers emergency towing, lockout service, flat tire change, emergency fuel delivery, jump starts, and mobile EV charging. With the addition of the Silverado EV to the fleet, it’s likely that Chevy will add more EV assistance to its services.
What It All Means
GM set a lofty goal for itself when it announced its plans to lead the EV industry in North America by 2025. Lofty ambitions require accountability, and that’s exactly what GM received when the automaker made its plans public. Following up with the debut of models like the Bolt EV, the Bolt EUV, the Hummer EV, and the Silverado EV, there’s no question that all eyes are on GM.
GM’s plans started with a multi-billion investment into Factory ZERO to equip the assembly plant with all the technology and tooling needed to make good on its promise. “Our team accepted the challenge to transform product development at GM and position our company for an all-electric future,” Mary Barra says. “What we have done is build a multi-brand, multi-segment EV strategy with economies of scale that rival our full-size truck business with much less complexity and even more flexibility.”
So, what does this mean? GM’s plans to revolutionize the EV industry means that drivers will reap the full benefits of the company’s big goals and exceptional innovation. This is apparent on models like the Silverado EV that showcase GM’s Ultium battery technology that’s already changing the EV industry by making batteries more affordable and, in turn, EVs as a whole more accessible to a larger customer base. This means an all-electric future is closer than you might think.
But is the Silverado EV the EV truck that we’ve been waiting for? Even though details of the truck are scarce, it’s safe to say that the truck is everything you can imagine a GM EV to be. Offered in both fleet and retail options, the Silverado EV will change the EV landscape in North America and further solidify GM’s place on the throne of the EV realm.
