The Chevy Silverado EV Just Got a Big Horsepower Boost, but there’s a catch
Chevy has updated the horsepower and torque figures of the upcoming Silverado EV pickup truck. Many of us saw the news this week that GMC will launch a new Sierra EV truck, and that it has a maximum of 754 horsepower. Well, now Chevy says its upcoming EV truck, too, has 754 horsepower. Is this a case of Chevy copying GMC’s new Sierra EV, or did GM simply unlock a new level in the Ultium platform?
The Silverado EV horsepower numbers are real, but there’s a caveat
The new 2024 Silverado EV truck not only gets updated horsepower figures, but updated torque figures, too. The “old” horsepower figures, from yesterday, said that it had 664 horsepower and 780 lb-ft of torque. The new figures are 754 and a boost to 785 lb-ft of torque, which is a lot more than the ICE Silvearado could ever imagine. But there’s one caveat.
The only way to unlock the higher horsepower numbers will with the Wide Open Watts (or WOW) mode, which isn’t always accessible. The new truck, though, Chevy says can go 0-60 mph in less than 4.5 seconds. The new WOW mode figures probably won’t be available on every version of the Silverado EV, since Chevy will be selling two different battery packs for it that have different power, and range, ratings. Wide Open Watts is a special mode that is unlockable after several steps, just like the Watts to Freedom mode in the GMC Hummer EV.
How does the Silverado EV compare to the new GMC Sierra EV?
These two trucks are basically the same. The GMC lacks the flying buttresses of the Chevy’s cab, and the fighter-jet like two-tone paint jobs. Inside, the two look similar, except for the center stack. Where the new GMC Sierra EV has a tall iPad-like 16.3-inch screen, the Silverado has a 17-inch diagonal screen. Both top trim levels, the RST and the Denali Limited, offer tons of standard features, and Super Cruise is available. Both can also be used as generators.
We will get the Silverado in 2023, and the Sierra in 2024
We will get to see the Silverado EV at dealers in the spring of 2023, while we’ll have to wait for 2024 to see the GMC version. Chevy’s order books have been open for several months, while GMC’s just opened on October 20, 2022. While they are targeting different markets to begin with, both brands are planning to address other markets, too.
GMC’s 2025 Sierra EV starts at about $50,000. Other models planned for price points at $50,000, $60,000, $70,000 and $80,000. Both trucks will be able to Crab Walk, or do fancy four-wheel steering pirouettes, according to The Fast Lane Truck.
We will get off-road versions, too
GMC has confirmed that an AT4 trim will come for the 2025 model year. And, usually, when GMC introduces a new truck, you can be sure that Chevy will, too. GMC has already shown us AT4 off-road trim spec pictures, while Chevy has confirmed that we will get a Trail Boss version of the Silverado EV, too. But, we’ll have to wait for production to ramp on both trucks before we see what other models of Sierra EV and Silverado EV GM has dreamt up.