You might not have thought the full-size pickup truck segment was an obvious candidate for full electrification, but once you hear some details about the all-new Chevrolet Silverado EV you could then wonder why it’s taken so long. The new Silverado EV handles all the normal pickup truck duties without a problem, but while it does any job you’d expect a full-size truck to do around Thornhill, North York, Markham, Richmond Hill, and Greater Toronto Area it doesn’t put out any emissions and won’t cost much to run either.
There will be two very different versions of the Silverado EV, to begin with, but both will share the same advanced Ultium EV Platform, and both will deliver all the capability you’d expect from a truck with an internal combustion engine under the hood. The two launch models will sit at opposite ends of the pricing spectrum, with one being an affordable, fleet-focuses WT version and the other a genuine flagship offering in the shape of the RST First Edition that will showcase all the driver assistance, connectivity, and luxury features you can imagine.
It would be only natural to wonder if a fully electric pickup truck can be as powerful and capable as any gas or diesel-powered rival. Still, the Silverado EV will soon put any concerns you may have in that direction out of your mind. Even the relatively modest WT version of the Silverado EV will feature a fully electric powerplant that will put out a very serious 510 horsepower and 615 lb.-ft. of torque, while the RST First Edition will expand your expectations even further with a unit that will deliver 664 horsepower and more than 780 lb.-ft. of torque.
It would also be understandable for potential customers to be concerned about how far the Silverado EV will be able to drive on a single full charge of its battery. Still, range anxiety isn’t going to be an issue for Chevy’s first-ever fully electric pickup truck as it will have an estimated range of up to 400 miles. The Silverado EV will also feature cutting-edge DC fast charging capability of up to 350 kW, and based on GM’s current estimates, that’s enough for you to be able to add 100 miles of driving range to the battery in as little as 10 minutes.
The Silverado EV is obviously different from conventional trucks in many ways, but it still delivers where it matters most which is with that all-important towing and hauling capability. The Silverado EV in its WT form can tow up to 8,000 pounds and has a 1,200-pound payload rating, while the RST First Edition will be even more capable with a maximum tow rating of 10,000 pounds and a maximum payload capacity of 1,300 pounds. And if you need even more capability than that, Chevy is planning to deliver a fleet version of the Silverado EV after the initial launch that will be capable of towing up to 20,000 pounds when equipped with the available max tow package.
And if you are wondering what an electric pickup truck can do when it comes to getting away from the line, the Silverado RST will be able to get from 0 to 60 mph in under 4.5 seconds.
Think of any application you’d expect for a gas-powered pickup truck, and the Chevrolet Silverado EV can do the same or better, but there’s so much more to this revolutionary new pickup than just doing normal pickup truck things without any harmful tailpipe emissions. To find out more about this incredibly exciting new vehicle, come and visit Roy Foss Thornhill here at 7200 Yonge Street, Thornhill, ON, or give us a call anytime at (905) 886-2000.