It’s official. The long-rumored fully-electric Chevrolet Silverado pickup has been greenlit for production by General Motors. GM President Mark Reuss announced the decision in a web conference today.
The Chevrolet e-Silverado will be built in GM’s Detroit-Hamtramck “Factory Zero” electric vehicle plant in Michigan, alongside the upcoming GMC Hummer EV pickup and SUV models.
The trucks are part of GM’s electrification initiative that, the company has said, will see 30 new EV models launched globally by 2025, as many as 20 of them slated for the North American market. They include the electric Silverado as well as already announced Hummers, Cadillac Lyriq SUV and Celestiq sedan as well as an unnamed crossover from Chevrolet.
Like the Hummers, the electric Silverado will use GM’s new skateboard platform and Ultium modular battery system for EVs. It houses powertrain and suspension components in a flat package—similar in concept to a skateboard—that can easily be scaled to fit a variety of vehicle sizes and body styles.
That means Chevrolet will be able to offer the electric Silverado with a variety of cab, bed and battery sizes to fit various needs and pocketbooks.
Both fleet and retail models will be developed, and the top trims will deliver “more than 400 miles” of range, the automaker said.
While Chevrolet hasn’t offered much detail beyond confirmation that the trucks will be built, it is likely that the electric Silverado also will be offered with a variety of powertrains and in all-wheel and rear-wheel drive versions. The Hummers, for instance, will come in single motor rear-wheel drive and dual and triple motor all-wheel drive configurations.
Production and on-sale dates for the electric Silverado haven’t been announced. But it will be built alongside the Hummers, which launch in 2022 and 2023, so it is likely the e-Silverado will hit dealer showrooms by or before 2024. GMC Sierra versions will no doubt follow.
It will compete with the electric F-150 and a variety of electric pickups coming from Ram, the truck division of Stellantis (formerly Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) and a number of EV makers including Tesla, Rivian, Canoo and Lordstown Motors.
GM said when announcing the Ultium battery system that it would come in 50 to 200 kWh increments, with the largest size containing 30 modules of flat, pouch-style lithium-ion battery cells.
The 200 kWh battery pack is good for up to 450 miles and will be used in its electric trucks, the automaker said. That’s because trucks and SUVs can better accommodate the larger battery packs without sacrificing performance or passenger and cargo room.
The maximum range for upcoming electric cars, which will use smaller Ultium packs, will be around 300 miles, GM said at the time.
General Motors is among a growing number of automakers—including Ford, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen and Volvo—that have committed to large-scale vehicle electrification programs. Mary Barra, GM’s chief executive officer, recently said that the company “aspires” to have an all-electric global lineup by 2040. Achieving that goal, however, likely is predicated on favorable government regulation and financial assistance as well as increased public enthusiasm for EVs.