New Electric Chevy Silverado Just Escalated the Electric Pickup Truck War
The electric pickup truck war is gaining steam as nearly every major player in the world of pickup trucks has thrown their hats in the ring. The electric Chevy Silverado has been announced and will join in the fight as an EV, bringing one of the biggest of the big dogs into the fight.
Between the electric Ford F-150, Rivian R1T, Tesla Cybertruck, and the Hummer, this segment is crowded before any tires have actually hit the road. Consider the electric Chevy Silverado, the sleeping giant, and it has officially been awoken.
Is there an electric Chevy Silverado?
As of last Tuesday, Chevrolet officially announced the electric Silverado. Like most distant production models, Chevy didn’t give us much to sink our teeth into in the details department. However, there are enough context clues from other GM models to make the Silverado step out of the shadows and into the light.
According to Gear Patrol, although Chevy says that the new electric Chevy Silverado will be “designed from the ground up,” it is coming off the heels of the EV Hummer, which is built on GM’s new EV platform. Both the electric Silverado and the GMC Hummer EV will be built in the Factory Zero complex in Detroit.
What are the major electric pickup trucks to look out for?
The pickup truck segment is already maybe the most hotly contested and highly competitive segment in the entire car market. The other closest segment might be EVs. With that in mind, where do we think electric pickup trucks fall into that mix?
The electric Chevy Silverado is stepping into already violently churning waters. Up until Ford announced its electric F-150, the electric pickup game was occupied by start-ups like Rivian and wild promises from Elon Musk with the Tesla Cybertruck. The Silverado is the first answer to Ford as an established and trusted pickup truck that transitions to full-electric power.
The electric Ford F-150 uses the same production line as the hybrid, giving Ford a stronger start out the gate. This will likely keep prices down and production moving smoothly than the Chevy Silverado. However, Chevy, and GM overall, seems to be taking the more aggressive position on power and extreme performance to Ford’s more practical, less dramatic approach.
It is hard to say at this point what electric truck customers will want, but most options, at this point, seem to be heading toward the extreme approach. The electric Chevy Silverado promises more than 400 miles of range. Considering that that distance stack well against most electric cars and the Silverado looks mean as hell, it seems to show a willingness to give the electric truck market everything Chevy has got.
The electric Chevy Silverado better come in hot
Again, there is still so much we don’t know about this new Chevy Silverado. But, what we do know is that the Silverado better come correct. Buyers’ expectations are super high in this segment. The EV sedans and motorcycles have been showing insane power, high-end luxury, and a social perception that has made them the apple of many driver’s eyes.
The electric pickup truck segment will have twice the pressure to deliver because current truck owners already expect so much out of the rigs that the new dogs have some giant shoes to fill.
More than other older, more established brands, Chevy and Ford both will likely struggle to hang with the young and exciting companies like Rivian, Tesla, and Lordstown, at least at first. The war has begun, and it will likely be a long and awesome one.
