Driven: 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV Work Truck Outpowers, Outdistances Ford Lightning

• Despite its name, the new all-electric light-duty pickup is quite distinct from other Silverado trucks.
• It debuts in the fleet-oriented Work Truck model.
• The WT is loaded with features but does without air suspension, four-wheel steering.

How much will the Silverado EV cost?

When GM initially announced this truck in 2022, the automaker said the base Work Truck (WT) would start at $41,795 (including an $1,895 destination fee). At the truck's summer first drive event, the company walked back this promise, citing changing material costs and market conditions — the sort of circumstances that have led rival Ford to hike the price on its F-150 Lightning several times since its introduction.

While a lesser-equipped, shorter-range model is still promised, the Silverado WT range launches in a single high-line trim: 4WT. This 4WT has a base price of $79,800 (including destination). Chevy says the Silverado EV lineup will expand soon to include a cheaper WT variant with 350 miles of range for $74,800.

If you aren't interested in a WT, the only version you'll be able to get into this year will be the RST First Edition, and it's considerably more expensive. Chevrolet is taking the same approach to the Silverado EV as GMC did with the Hummer EV — roll out the fully loaded model first, then follow up with more pedestrian models later on. The loaded-up RST will have four-wheel steering, an air suspension, a fold-down midgate, a multi-function tailgate and other features that the WT lacks.

The price tag for this decked-out Chevy with an estimated 400-plus miles of range is an eye-watering $106,895. An off-road-themed Trail Boss is also pegged to arrive in 2024 as Chevy builds out its Silverado EV lineup.

How much range and power does the Silverado EV have?

You might assume that the Silverado EV WT is a bare-bones model considering that Chevy intends it to primarily be used by fleets, small businesses and municipalities rather than the general public. Yet even this base WT is surprisingly well equipped. Specs for this pickup are a battery pack capable of delivering an EPA-estimated 450 miles of range (50 miles more than originally promised). That's about 40% more range than is available from the Ford F-150 Lightning. While Chevrolet is declining to state the Silverado EV's battery capacity, it has confirmed this truck has the same 24-module pack as the Hummer EV. For reference, the one in the Hummer EV has been reported to have a capacity of 212 kWh.

Even on this WT, Chevy says that the dual-motor powertrain is rated at a healthy 510 horsepower and 615 lb-ft of torque — significantly more than what you can get in Ford's fleet-minded F-150 Lightning Pro pickup.

The RST First Edition promises 754 horsepower and more than 785 lb-ft of torque when using the Wide Open Watts launch control mode. That's an impressive amount of thrust — and nearly 200 hp more powerful than the Ford F-150 Lightning's most potent battery option.

How do you charge the Silverado EV?

Under the skin is an 800-volt architecture that allows the pickup to take full advantage of the fastest chargers on the market. The system can draw up to 350 kW, which is the current maximum afforded by the newest DC fast-charging stations. Plug into one of these stations, and Chevy says the Silverado can charge up to 100 miles in just 10 minutes. For a comparison, the F-150 Lightning has a maximum draw of 155 kW and can add 41 to 54 miles in 10 minutes, depending on which battery pack you specify.

GM recently announced that it will adopt Tesla's North American Charging Standard (NACS) hardware beginning in 2025, enabling access to the Silicon Valley automaker's expansive Supercharger network. For now, however, the truck will come with a Combined Charging Standard (CCS) plug.

How much can the Silverado EV tow and haul?

The Silverado EV WT has a maximum towing capacity of 10,000 pounds. The automaker also says a version capable of towing 20,000 pounds is due sometime in the future. Payload is rated at 1,400 pounds. That's still less impressive than most gas-powered Silverados, as well as some Lightning trims. It's also worth noting that the Silverado EV's bed is unique — it's not the same as other gas and diesel models. That means that fleet owners with expensive investments in racks and bed accessories will have to open their checkbooks for new gear.

On the other hand, the Silverado EV's exportable power feature — the ability to use the truck's battery pack to power other things — is impressive. Like Ford's Lightning, this truck's mix of 110- and 240-volt outlets can provide up to 7.2kW of power for anything from job-site construction equipment to camping gear (say goodbye to generators!). An optional accessory Power Bar feature plugs directly into the charging port to provide a further 3 kW of power, for a total of 10.2 kW. A vehicle-to-vehicle power cable will also be available, enabling the WT to charge other EVs.

How does the Silverado EV drive?

The commercial-market-minded WT is the first variant of this platform that we've been able to drive, and even though it's a lot simpler than the high-line RST First Edition that kicks off Chevy's first electric truck for consumers, it's still very well equipped.

The Silverado EV WT's swift acceleration belies its continental bulk, accelerating from a standstill to 60 mph in under 6 seconds according to company representatives. Edmunds' own informal stopwatch tests at the drive event suggest the automaker's estimate is accurate. M claims this truck weighs in at around 8,500 pounds with no options — that's around 1,600 pounds more than Edmunds' long-term Ford F-150 Lightning.

At the WT's Michigan launch event, GM let us try our hand at towing a flatbed trailer loaded with a John Deere tractor. Total weight for our load was around 8,900 pounds, taking up the majority of the truck's 10,000-pound towing maximum. As soon as the trailer's wiring harness was plugged in, the total available range shown in the cluster roughly halved. GM engineers explained that this slightly conservative remaining-distance calculation can move up or down as you travel, depending on conditions and observed accelerator usage.

Either way, this Detroit-built WT tows nicely, accelerating smartly and braking confidently, even in single-pedal mode. In fact, using the latter in its high-regen setting was preferable in our testing because it made for smoother stops while also saving brake-component wear and tear on both the truck and trailer.

How comfortable is the Silverado EV?

The WT's independent coil-spring suspension rides well — almost a bit softly — despite the fact that it rides on 18-inch heavy-duty truck tires inflated to 61 psi. Pitch and roll are reasonably well controlled and GM has done a fine job tuning out noise, vibration and harshness, even on pockmarked gravel roads. Steering is light and accurate, with minimal play on-center.

Outward visibility is not so great because of thick roof pillars and bulky rear headrests, although a low hood height improves your view out of the front slightly.

The Silverado EV benefits from a smartly calibrated, user-selectable one-pedal drive mode. This energy-recuperating setting is available in two strengths. We found it easy to get used to its higher setting, which offered predictable and pleasing rates of deceleration, such that touching the brake pedal is rarely necessary — even when towing. This brake-wear-saving function can also be fully turned off.

How's the Silverado EV's interior?

The WT's interior is nicer and better-equipped than your typical commercial truck. There's a lot of storage space thanks in part to the fact that this truck's EV-only chassis doesn't have a driveshaft tunnel. That absence enables a larger center console and a flat rear floor with generous rear underseat storage.

In typical work-truck fashion, there are plenty of cup- and bottle-holders on the center console and doors, but they're also a bit cheap-feeling and smaller cans and bottles will rattle around. The rear seating area is massive, with generous head- and legroom, including room for three full-size adults. Unfortunately, the rear accommodations lack a fold-down center armrest, and while there are air vents, there is no separate temperature control.

This introductory WT model features heated, manually adjustable front cloth seats clad in hard-wearing fabric, and as you'd expect, there's plenty of basic black plastic on the dash and doors.

How's the Silverado EV's tech?

Even the WT comes with a large 11-inch central touchscreen infotainment and fully digital gauge cluster. The former features wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard, and it also integrates Google Assistant services, including embedded maps and voice assistant. This snappy system pays dividends in a number of ways, including while towing, estimating your remaining state of charge at the end of navigation-mapped journeys.

In terms of advanced safety tech, the WT launches with a wealth of standard features, including automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot detection, and even 360-degree camera coverage, a boon when towing or parking in tight spots. Frankly, this is an unexpected amount of standard equipment, but GM says its early fleet customers demanded high levels of safety equipment and at least 400 miles of range — both of which go a long way toward explaining why the Silverado WT's base price is so high at launch. We expect future WT models to be available with significantly less standard equipment to enable friendlier pricing.

Edmunds says

The Silverado EV is an intriguing take on an electric pickup. With its unique chassis and class-leading range and power, it's in many ways a more sophisticated, ambitious take on a full-size electric truck than Ford's F-150 Lightning. As a result, however, it's also significantly costlier and heavier. We'll need more wheel time and a head-to-head comparison to determine which design approach we prefer.