General Motors on Wednesday confirmed that its upcoming Chevrolet Silverado electric pickup will offer four-wheel steering, as well as gigantic 24-inch wheels, in its production form.
Chevrolet released a video that shows the truck turning with both the front and rear wheels turning in the same direction to reduce the truck’s turning circle. The video doesn’t suggest something akin to the GMC Hummer EV’s Crab mode, which will permit off-road flexibility not presently offered on GM’s gasoline pickups.
GM has already confirmed that the electric Silverado will offer more than 400 miles of range in some versions and be built alongside the GMC Hummer EV at its Hamtramck, Michigan, plant that has been renamed Factory Zero.
Ultium EV platform – GMC Hummer EV
With Wednesday’s announcement, it also confirmed that the fully electric SIlverado was “designed as an EV from the ground up.” That again confirms what GMC Hummer EV chief engineer Al Oppenheimer reasoned out for us back in April—that in order to meet a range target of 400 miles or more for the Silverado EV, GM wouldn’t have been able to stack enough battery modules within typical truck frame rails. Thus, GM will opt for a similar “structural sandwich” approach as the GMC Hummer EV for the Silverado EV.
2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 diesel
That said, the Silverado EV isn’t expected to be nearly as premium-priced and positioned as the Hummer EV. GM CEO Mary Barra in May said that the Silverado EV will be “a high-volume” entry affordable for fleets. The GMC Hummer EV will start at $112,595 in pickup (SUT) form, with an eventual base price of $79,995 that’s well beyond the price ceiling of most corporate fleets.
The biggest missing piece so far about the Silverado EV is the timeline. GM hasn’t yet announced when this model will arrive, but considering what it’s said about the production plant it could arrive as soon as late 2023.
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