Of the many innovations available in the new Chevy Silverado EV, the one that stood out to me the most was just how it kept going. And going. And going.
Rated at close to 500 miles, the one thing to remember is that this is an actual truck. In my test for a week, I drove to a downtown area, out to the mall, back to the suburbs, and then on multiple country roads before I wondered when I might need to recharge.
That’s the ideal state for any EV, but the fact that I also did these things at the same time is pretty amazing:
1. Hauled a Christmas tree from a lot
2. Transported five people to the mall for Christmas shopping
3. Loaded up the entire truck bed with leaves and took them to the compost site
4. Dropped my electric bike off at a ship for a repair
5. Played Amazon Music by asking Alexa to play songs
With any EV, it’s not so much about where you can go and how far but what you can do while you are getting there. It’s the possibility of experiencing more and doing more that is the true innovation here, the fact that you have the cargo space (which can expand into the cab, by the way — more on that in a moment) and the passenger space available at the same time.
In fact, there’s so much you can do with the Silverado EV that I ran out of time to test everything. I noticed the vehicle can do a four-wheel steer (known as a crab walk) but was too busy listening to Amazon Music and testing the other digital features to try that out.
Also, the truck bed is fantastic as is the overall design. Angled like it’s from 2036 and not 2026, the design makes the truck look aerodynamic and cool but at the same time offers plenty of space for bikes, leaves, and a Christmas tree. I also ran out of time to test this, but the cab can open so you can add longer pieces of lumber or a taller Christmas tree.
I loved how Chevy lets you keep tabs of everything as well on the digital displays. Keep in mind that the longer range means you will spend a little more time re-charging, but it’s worth it. I’d rather have an EV I don’t need to babysit by recharging constantly — for example, one that only lasts about 200 miles. Give me the longer range any day and I will happily wait a bit longer to hit 100%.
The Silverado EV beats out the competition in range and usefulness. Ford F-150 Lightning (extended-range) has about a 320-mile max. The Rivian R1T (with largest battery) goes for about 420 miles max.
And the Tesla Cybertruck has about 300–350 miles of range depending on the version).
In my week-long test, I only had to recharge once. The place I do my EV charging is a dealership so I grabbed a coffee and chatted with a few employees, so not a big deal. They also happily critiqued the truck and gave me their opinions (all positive).
More range is the goal for any EV, but the fact that the Silverado can not only run for miles and miles around the metro area near my house but also allow me to do so many other things is a testament not just to the design but to the engineering.
Chevy knows we don’t just want to drive. We also need to live a little.