General Motors Co GM-owned Chevrolet on Wednesday launched the electric version of its most popular and profitable full-size pickup truck Silverado that would go on sale next year, starting at $39,900 with a range of over 400 miles.
What Happened: GM said it will begin selling a fully-loaded Silverado electric vehicle — which will also be its most expensive variant— first, along with a fleet-oriented Work Truck model before ramping up production and introducing a fuller range at lower price points.
A fully-loaded Silverado RST First Edition model will go on sale at $105,000. The more affordable options in between the base and the fully-loaded variant will be priced around the $50,000, $60,000, $70,000, $80,000 price points, the company said.
Silverado EV Scores On Range: GM said the electric pickups will come with an estimated range of over 400 miles on a full charge, handily beating Ford Motor Co’s F estimated range of 230 miles for the base variant of the hotly-anticipated F-150 Lightning, which is priced starting at $39,974.
The range estimates are the company's own and not EPA certified yet.
F-150 Lightning’s most expensive variant, which is priced at around $90,000, would have an extended range of 300 miles.
GM said it has started accepting reservations for the Silverado electric trucks.
The RST and the WT variants can juice up 100 miles of range in 10 minutes via the public DC fast charging capabilities of up to 350kW.
See Also: GM Raises 5-Year EV Investment Target To $35B, Following In Ford's Footsteps
The electric Silverado will be assembled at GM’s Factory ZERO at the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Center. Factory Zero is a 4.5 million square foot factory, which is the first of four planned factories in the U.S. to help the company's shift to electric vehicles.
GM’s EV Roadmap: The launch comes at a crucial time and is key for GM CEO Mary Barra’s ambitious plans to switch 40% of the company’s U.S. volume to battery electric vehicles by the end of 2025.
The Detroit-based legacy automaker is pumping in $35 billion through 2025 to develop electric and autonomous vehicles. It has set an aggressive aim to launch 30 all-electric models globally by 2025.
The development also comes a day after GM was, for the first time, dethroned as the largest automaker in the U.S. in 2021 by Toyota Motor Corp TM with the Japanese automaker navigating the chip shortages better than the Detroit-based company.
A 'Charged-Up' Battle: GM, just like Ford, is betting on the popularity of its iconic, best-selling models to carry forward to electric vehicle options as well. The company recently started delivering the electric sports utility vehicle Hummer with a 329-mile range. Tesla Inc TSLA is also in the fray with its anticipated Cybertruck launch.
Rival Ford has announced plans to ramp up production for its already on-sale electric Mustang Mach-E and the soon-to-be-launched F-150 Lightning.
Photo: Courtesy of GM
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