Silverado pickups are popular year after year, and it’s easy to see why. Their consistently high towing and payload ratings – alongside their other amazing features like safety technology – make them enduring frontrunners in the pickup market. However, your local Chevy Silverado dealer is about to unveil something a little outside the ordinary: an electric Silverado.
The Chevy Silverado EV is an upcoming all-electric edition of this popular Chevy product. Depending on what you value in a new vehicle, the idea of a pickup truck with electric power may either excite or confuse you. Why the heck would Chevy make such a drastic change to a best-selling vehicle, a truck that dominates their lineup every year?
It turns out that General Motors, Chevy’s parent company, has expressed a commitment to going all-electric within the next ten years. Every vehicle under every one of their sub-brands will eventually set aside their gasoline and diesel powertrains and instead rely on clean, sustainable, electric power across the board. How does this change affect the upcoming Silverado, and what else can you expect from this vehicle? As odd as its announcement may be, we think that this new Chevy pickup, the Silverado EV, is an exciting change. Here are the top 5 reasons you should be excited about this forward-thinking Silverado.
Fuel Savings
The problem with pickup trucks is that every model on the market today is a huge gas guzzler. They don’t conserve fuel very well, and their large engines and heavy frames make them thirsty for fuel. Even diesel engines, which require less fuel and tend to be substantially more economical, are still relatively costly to run. Add to that the higher cost of diesel fuel at the pump, and you’re only saving a slight amount when you fill up a diesel truck.
Putting a pickup truck to work towing or hauling heavy equipment can require even more fuel, which means that you’re paying for a truck to work hard when you need it to. When you look at the current Chevy Silverado, its fuel economy ratings of up to 33 miles per gallon are notable – especially in the pickup truck market. However, Chevrolet’s move toward an all-electric vehicle lineup means that there’s even more fuel economy to come.
While it’s still too early for official fuel economy ratings, the new Silverado EV is expected to have a driving range of up to 400 miles – that’s roughly six hours of highway driving – on a single charge! Thanks to its expected ultra-efficient 200-kWh battery, the Silverado EV will make the most of its electric power source, reducing the need for recharging. What’s more, electricity is cheaper than gasoline and diesel fuel, meaning that charging the Silverado EV will save you more money every week. Overall, the EV is certain to attract buyers with its reduced running costs when compared to traditional gas or diesel trucks.
More Convenient Tech Features
The Chevy Silverado isn’t just a hard-working truck, it’s a comfortable one, and recent editions have been souped up with enough tech features to satisfy even those who refuse to live without their urban creature comforts. Infotainment tech, relaxing features like heated and ventilated seats, smart cabin designs that optimize both open and private storage, and awesome audio systems have made the Silverado a winner in recent years.
So what can we expect from the Silverado EV? As with fuel economy ratings, it’s too soon to tell for certain, but we at CarBuyerLabs anticipate the new EV edition to be chock-full of convenient technology. How do we know? Just look at the trajectory of recent-year models.
Every edition of the Silverado within the current generation has built upon the last, upgrading features like its infotainment device to be faster, more user friendly, and more detailed thanks to an improved display. New accessories in the 2021 model all indicate that even more exciting features may come in the future. Plus, an EV opens up the possibility of greater tech integration as well as battery-operated climate control that can get your truck to the right temperature without having to leave an engine idling.
Off-Road Electric Power
The new Silverado EV may likely offer a Trail Boss edition, the all-terrain-optimized trim that’s a favorite amongst the current Silverado market. We can only speculate based on the information we’ve received as of this publication, but if recent Silverado editions are any indication, the upcoming EV may present a rarity in the automotive world: electric-powered off-roading.
Why are we so convinced that we’ll see a return of the Trail Boss? This off-roader Silverado is a fan favorite, and buyers will likely expect a similar off-road-ready Silverado EV. In fact, many Silverado fans may feel shunted by the omission of these features, alongside other successful all-terrain features of the Z71 Off-Road Package – all of which come standard in recent Trail Boss Silverados. General Motors has committed to going electric without sacrificing quality, so we would expect to see no less in the future. The Trail Boss will likely return and be even better than ever.
Positive Impact
Depending on the shopper, this is either a huge perk or an easy-to-ignore, hidden benefit of the upcoming Silverado EV. Pickup trucks are consistently some of the biggest gas guzzlers and polluters on the road. Not only will the Silverado EV’s electric powertrain solve both of these issues, but it also relies on a more environmentally conscious fuel source that’s simultaneously affordable for you and excellent for the planet.
Drivers who are looking for green alternatives to gas and diesel no longer have to limit their shopping to small sedans. Finally, you’ll get the power of an all-terrain truck with amazing towing and payload ratings – all without having to compromise your environmental concerns. If the environmental impact alone doesn’t sway you, then how about additional savings? There are several tax incentives and available rebates for you when you make the switch to an electric vehicle.
Outstanding Performance
General Motors has committed to transitioning all of its vehicles to electric energy without compromising performance. Sure, when news hit that vehicles like the Chevy Silverado were turning electric, there were certainly doubters among us. How can the electric motors that power flimsy microcars and other small vehicles even approach the amount of power required to make the Silverado even mildly potent? Wouldn’t it be far less capable of hauling, trailering, and navigating off-road? What about the intense power requirements of operating such a beast as a Silverado?
Here’s why we don’t doubt the performance and capability drivers will get out of the Silverado EV: it is expected to share its platform and powertrain with the GMC Hummer EV. The Hummer, like the Silverado, is designed for intimidating strength and capability, even off-road (formerly at the expense of poor fuel economy). High horsepower and torque ratings abound in both the Hummer and Silverado, and we’d expect no less from the ultra-potent electric motors being developed for the new Silverado EV. In fact, upgraded trims of the Hummer EV combine 2 or 3 motors for performance ratings as high as 1000 horsepower!
In the end, some drivers may not follow the Silverado into the unfamiliar territory of all-electric power. It’s understandable; as of yet, Chevy hasn’t released official performance ratings, much less detailed accessories for this upcoming pickup. However, we’ve offered five reasons why this may not be just an alternative Silverado but the best-engineered, most well-equipped Silverado yet. Check back in closer to its expected release date in 2023, when even more exciting details flood in. We have high expectations for the Silverado EV, and these expectations just might be blown out of the water.
