Advertised range estimates for electric vehicles aren't all that reliable. The real world has steep hills, fast-moving freeways, cargo and inclement weather, all of which can deal a blow to an EV's supposed range. That's why it can be incredibly enlightening to observe how an EV's range holds up on actual roads. Some electric cars flop in real-world range tests, while others overshoot their manufacturer-advertised figures.
In the case of the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV RST, one early test by YouTuber JerryRigEverything suggests that the truck meets its impressive range estimate—and then some.
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The average range of electric vehicles has risen steadily over the years as batteries have gotten cheaper and more energy-dense. Chevrolet's new electric pickup is one of the longest-range EVs on the U.S. market, but it doesn't come cheap.
Zack Nelson, who runs the popular JerryRigEverything YouTube channel, took a Silverado EV RST on a road trip from Las Vegas to Phoenix and managed to go 460.2 miles before depleting the truck's battery.
The Detroit brand just announced new details about the upcoming trim of the truck, including its General Motors-estimated range of 440 miles. That's significantly more than the longest-range versions of rivals like the Ford F-150 Lightning (320 miles), Rivian R1T (410 miles) and Tesla Cybertruck (340 miles, or supposedly over 470 with a range-extending battery pack that's yet to see the light of day).
In the video, Nelson said the route was mostly made up of highways, with some dirt roads and city streets in the mix as well. The journey also included an elevation drop of 1,000 feet, which may have helped extend the truck's range slightly. However, as Nelson points out, that's only a drop of 2 feet per mile driven.
What's important is that, on the whole, the drive seems representative of how someone might actually use their truck. And the Silverado EV crushed it. The EV's efficiency, if you're curious, came out to 2 miles per kilowatt-hour.
While 440 miles of range is definitely overkill for most situations, that kind of bladder-busting range may be important for convincing skeptical truck buyers to consider going electric someday. One reason is towing. On the whole, electric trucks kind of suck at towing because range takes such a huge hit. With well over 400 miles on tap, the Silverado EV may be the first electric truck that meets the expectations of regular towers even with a trailer behind it.
All that range necessitates a ridiculously huge battery pack, which hikes the Silverado EV's price deep into luxury territory. Chevrolet on Wednesday announced that the top-tier truck will cost $96,495, including a destination charge. Deliveries are set to begin in the middle of 2024. (Chevy already sells a more bare-bones Silverado EV, but that's just for fleets.)
And sometimes even having a market-beating 460 miles of range at your disposal isn't quite enough to get you to the charger. The Silverado EV Nelson was driving died in a parking lot around 100 yards from a charging station. Check out the full video and let us know your thoughts in the comments. Would you buy a Silverado EV?
Contact the author: tim.levin@insideevs.com
