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Chevrolet revealed the updated 2022 Silverado 1500
in September of 2021.
But now, the automaker is looking even farther
into the future with this,
the 2024 Silverado EV.
This is the RST First Edition,
which should arrive in dealerships in the fall of 2023.
And it aims to give other EV pickups,
like the upcoming Ford F-150 Lightning,
Rivian R1T, Tesla Cybertruck,
and even its GMC Hummer EV pickup cousin,
a run for their money.
Styling is, you know, distinctly Chevy,
but it's not just a Silverado
thrown over an LTM EV platform.
There is a little bit of Avalanche to it,
but much more modern and much more functional upfront.
You get sort of this grilleless design.
Obviously, it's an EV.
You don't need the grille of a traditional combustion engine
You do get a frunk.
It's got a nice, little, low load-in height.
Few cool little details. You get charging icons here.
Nice little bow tie in the side marker.
Dimensionally, it's not that different
from a Silverado 1500,
and it's certainly smaller than a Silverado HD.
But things like the aerodynamic buttresses behind the cab
and the RST First Edition's gigantic 24-inch wheels
give it an imposing presence.
In back, a few more cool little styling details.
You've got the charging port here.
You got this large taillight assembly that actually
has the LTM logo built into it.
Traditional Chevy helpful steps to give you some bed access.
The Silverado EV does have some cool features,
which should make it appealing to a lot of shoppers,
such as its Multi-Flex Midgate,
which allows longer items to pass through the midgate
into the cabin.
While the bed is nearly 6 feet long
when all enclosed, with the midgate folded down,
you get just over 9 feet,
and with the midgate and tailgate open,
you get almost 11 feet of cargo space for storage.
The backseat is a 60/40 split,
and the rear glass can come down and store
behind the backseat when the backseat is fully lowered.
Chevy says there can be
up to 10 outlets in the Silverado EV,
offering a total of 10.2 kilowatts of power.
There's a mix of 240-volt and 120-volt outlets,
but Chevy didn't say just how much one could get
from any particular outlet.
The Silverado EV will also offer buyers the ability
to charge another EV with an available accessory cord.
One last cool feature in the Silverado EV
is its available four-wheel steering,
which should improve its low-speed maneuverability.
Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to sit in the prototype,
which means I can't really tell you anything
about roominess or materials quality.
But again, this is a prototype,
which means that things could certainly change
between now and production.
What I can tell you about the interior
is that the tech certainly looks great.
The RST First Edition has a new 17-inch touchscreen display
that runs GM's latest Ultifi operating system.
And while I wasn't allowed to play with it,
what I did see looked pretty cool.
The graphics were both extremely
futuristic and crisp and clear,
and the configurability and ability to receive
over-the-air updates should help keep it
up to date after purchase.
There's also a physical volume knob,
which is a welcome touch,
though it appears that track or tuning changes
will be via touch-sensitive controls
instead of physical ones,
not our favorite method.
Again, I can't really comment on roominess,
but Chevrolet does say the Silverado EV
should feel a little more spacious than the Silverado
with an internal-combustion engine,
particularly in the backseat,
which should have a little more legroom.
Also, the available all-glass roof
should add to that expansive feeling inside.
One of the first things buyers want to know
about an EV is its range,
and the Silverado EV should have
an estimated 400 miles of it,
according to Chevrolet.
That's more than the F-150 Lightning,
which is in the low 200s or 300-mile range
depending on battery pack,
and more than the Rivian R1T,
which is currently EPA-rated at 314 miles.
Tesla promises over 500 miles for the Cybertruck,
but nothing's finalized yet,
and the GMC Hummer EV is currently rated
at an estimated 329 miles of range.
The Silverado EV will also have standard DC fast charging
up to 350 kilowatts,
which should add 100 miles in 10 minutes.
That's still not as fast as a fill-up at a gas station,
but it's not that bad.
Power is also an important consideration.
And while these are just estimates right now,
Chevy says the RST First Edition
should have at least 664 horsepower
and 780 pounds-feet of torque in what it calls
Wide Open Watts or WOW mode,
which is close to the dual-motor GMC Hummer EV,
and more horsepower and just a little more torque
than the F-150 Lightning.
Meanwhile, Chevy says the Work Truck version
should have up to 510 horsepower
and 615 pounds-feet of torque.
Chevy says the RST First Edition
should be able to tow up to 10,000 pounds,
while the Work Truck should be able to tow up to 8,000.
Chevy did also say that later Work Truck versions
could offer up to 20,000 pounds towing.
Payload capacity is on the lower end
for a pickup truck.
The RST First Edition offers 1,300 pounds,
and the Work Truck 1,200.
That's lower than a Ford Maverick
and significantly lower than internal-combustion pickups.
That's likely due to the overall heavy weight
of the battery pack and the truck in general.
Chevy says the Silverado EV Work Truck
will be the first to go on sale in spring 2023.
But again, that will initially be sold
only to commercial buyers.
The loaded RST First Edition will follow in fall 2023
with a price of $105,000, not including destination.
Eventually, the Silverado EV lineup available to consumers
will expand to include the roughly $40,000 Work Truck,
a regular RST trim, a Trail Boss variant and more,
with prices anywhere from $50,000 to $80,000 or more,
depending on equipment.
That's a lot of information about the Silverado EV,
and there's still a lot to be finalized before production,
but what we've seen so far is pretty impressive.
Chevy is targeting a mix of buyers with the Silverado EV,
not just traditional pickup buyers.
And with a combination of tech, performance
and luxury in the higher end,
as well as more work-friendly features
at the lower end of things,
the EV pickup truck race is really heating up.
Be sure to check out Cars.com for all the details.
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