Remember the $40,000 Chevy Silverado EV? It’s not happening

Chevrolet officially unveiled the Silverado EV Work Truck at a dedicated event, and its specifications simply blow the competition out of the water. But before we get to that, among many superlatives and mind-boggling numbers, one thing became apparent - the $40,000 Chevy Silverado is not coming. The company scrapped the idea as unworkable and instead is focusing on more expensive models. We can only imagine how upset some people may be - 185,000 preorders are in, and many of them are for the entry-level truck.

That’s the bad news, the great news is Chevy Silverado EV WT gets the GMC Hummer’s 212 kWh battery pack. Sure - that puts the Silverado at 8,500 lb but the resulting range of over 450 miles is not something to be complaining about. There is absolutely no question what electric pickup truck is the king of the range - the Ford F-150 Lightning and Rivian R1T fall far behind, they aren’t even close.

Ford’s 131 kWh battery pack seems tiny next to Silverado, Rivians 135 kWh doesn’t make a dent, even its upcoming 180 kWh battery still comes short. 200+ kWh is honestly a ridiculous capacity but if you want to tow with an electric truck - that’s what you need. Even if the range drops by 50% when towing, you still should get over 200 miles - and that is acceptable. Don’t forget the Silverado can tow a 20,000 lb trailer.

During the press event in Ann Arbor, Michigan, journalists had a chance to drive the truck around while towing the {{10,000}} John Deere tractor. Some even managed to do a 0 to 60 mph test with a consistent 11 seconds. Add to it 30A 10.2 kW total output for V2L, with a dedicated 7.2 kW generator plug, and you can run the entire house for days - not to mention a variety of tools at a construction site. The Chevy even comes with a 6 kW charger cable to top up other electric cars.

The Silverado EV Work Truck is simply in a league of its own, the 200+ kWh battery weighs as much as a small house but it makes this truck what it is supposed to be - a workhorse. Its AWD 380 kW (510 hp) powertrain won’t break any speed records, but those two electric motors sip the electrons and still manage 615 lb-ft of torque. All that fun and utility come at a price - $77,905 plus destination fees. A lot of money but still cheaper than the F-150 LR AWD or the Rivian R1T AWD Large Pack.

There is a cheaper version coming in the 4th quarter of this year - it will have a smaller battery with an estimated 350 miles of range in exchange for $72,905 plus destination charges. The First Edition RST model will go on sale later this year with starting price of $105,000, and there is a Trail Boss version coming as well - a serious, no-compromise off-road electric pickup truck.

That beast is planned for the next year though, together with an even cheaper Work Truck edition - this was supposed to be the $40,000 truck, but that dream is over. Chevrolet will price it “competitively” which is more likely to be well over $55,000 - at least the company promises more range than the competition.

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