Even though General Motors will unveil the Chevrolet Silverado EV on January 5, 2022, in Las Vegas at CES, production of the all-electric pickup truck won’t start until the beginning of 2023. The disclosure was made by a top GM executive, with Doug Parks revealing the timing during the recent Deutsche Bank’s AutoTech Conference.
In the meantime, Ford is taking all the measures to kick off the assembly of the F-150 Lightning for which it has registered no fewer than 200,000 reservations, not including fleet orders. In addition, the zero-emissions Silverado will have to fight the Rivian R1T and the much-hyped Tesla Cybertruck. Chevy’s pickup will benefit from GM’s Ultium batteries and is expected to offer more than 400 miles (644 kilometers) of range.
Much like the GMC Hummer EV and its innovative Crab Walk mode, the Silverado without a combustion engine is going to benefit from rear-wheel steering to lower the turning radius and make the large truck more maneuverable compared to its gas-fueled counterpart. Speaking of which, the EV version might not necessarily be a direct equivalent of the ICE-powered vehicle, according to a statement made earlier this year by GM North America President Steve Carlisle in an interview with Automotive News.
Since we mentioned the Hummer, it’s worth pointing out both the pickup and the SUV are going to be assembled at GM’s Factory Zero in Detroit where the Silverado EV will be manufactured as well. Regarding power, logic tells us it won’t match the four-digit output of the top-tier Hummer, but even the base model should have roughly 500 hp on tap.
All-wheel drive will be standard across the range while the battery pack could be as big as 200 kWh. It’s been previously described by GM CEO Mary Barra as being “just stunning,” with the concept version heading to CES on 24-inch wheels while featuring a large moonroof. Pricing details have not been announced, although some believe the entry-level trim will set you back anywhere between $40,000 to $50,000.
Source: Automotive News
