The 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV 4WT is more than just an electric pickup truck. It’s a sign that the future is here, and it’s surprisingly familiar. For anyone who ever admired the flexibility and utility of the Avalanche—or like me, had the pleasure of owning one—the Silverado EV feels like a modern reincarnation of that iconic poster child for GM’s ingenuity. Sadly, the Work Truck trims don’t get the midgate, so I had to stop myself short of calling this the EV-alanche, but I think that’s a missed opportunity for GM to revive an icon.
Let’s start with what’s underneath. The Silverado EV 4WT has a dual-motor setup cranking out 515 horsepower and 615 pound-feet of torque, giving it plenty of muscle for whatever life throws your way. Whether it’s towing up to 10,000 pounds or hauling furniture across town, it doesn’t break a sweat. With a 205 kWh battery slung below the cabin, it has an estimated range of 724 kilometres on a full charge. That’s a heck of a lot more than the F-150 Lightning. Range anxiety? What range anxiety?
Inside, the Silverado EV’s interior is roomy and comfortable. As a crew cab, there’s plenty of legroom up front and out back—my kids stretched out like it was their living room—and even on bumpy roads, the ride was whisper-smooth and incredibly compliant. Chevrolet really nailed the suspension balance here, creating a truck that’s as family friendly as it is work-ready. I really don’t know if adaptive suspension or air-ride would be worth spending any extra money on.
For those wondering why I compare it to an Avalanche, it’s not just the fact that the Silverado EV has similarly styled buttresses or a continuous body instead of a separate bed. It’s in the ride quality. Most pickup trucks with conventional suspension are bouncy and light in the back, practically begging for cargo to be loaded up in order to give you a nice, smooth ride. But because the Avalanche was literally built from the same underpinnings as the Suburban of the day—same suspension, structure, and all—it rode like a full-size SUV rather than a pickup.
Now back to the interior of the Silverado EV. “Work truck” doesn’t mean what it used to; the last time I drove a WT-trim Silverado, it had a screen about the size of a flip phone, and it was so bare-bones you wondered why your fleet manager was punishing you. In the EV, the cheap plastic and uninspiring slab-shaped screens sticking out of the dash do the job of making this feel like a significantly lower-trim vehicle that most other things on the market, but the screens are huge. It has dual-zone automatic climate control, power windows, cameras all over, cruise control, collision avoidance systems, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and all the other software bits that are loaded up make this a vehicle almost worthy of daily driving as a family vehicle.
The only real obvious ‘work truck’ cheapness was in the bare-bones manual drivers seat. It goes back and forth, and the backrest tilts. That’s it. No up and down, no seat tilt, nothing. I’ve had manual seats before with manual seat tilt and a height adjustment knob; it is possible to have a nice manual cloth seat. But here, GM just cut that right out of the specs. On the other hand, cabin sound-proofing is definitely not work-truck level; the Silverado EV is very quiet and the stereo sounds decent.
Acceleration is buttery smooth, and I really mean it. Considering the size and weight, the electric Silverado drives just as well as any other EV, which makes it even more impressive. Acceleration is excellent when passing on the highway, and it is no slouch for getting up to speed on an on-ramp. Don’t expect to break any records here; the Silverado EV still weighs more than two metric tons.
Regenerative braking is powerful, and you can toggle between regular driving and one-pedal mode. The latter wasn’t noticeably better at recovering energy than the former, so it really comes down to personal preference. Of interesting note: the Silverado EV switches to regular mode when doing parking manoeuvres and you don’t even realize it, which really helps minimize some of the bobble-heading that comes with one-pedal driving.
One of the most useful new features is the eTrunk—or front trunk, frunk, whatever you want to call it—which feels like an “aha” moment for anyone who’s ever owned a pickup truck. It’s a lockable, weatherproof space with 303 litres of storage with a flat floor that is about the same height from the ground as a tailgate. For my few days spent with the Silverado EV moving furniture around, it was a game-changer. We loaded it up with tie-downs, tools, blankets, and straps—everything we’d usually have rattling around in the bed—and it was easy on my back to load things in and out of it. It’s a much more useful storage space than the old “saddlebags” the Avalanche had on its bag, or the similar bedside storage some Rams offer.
Out back, there is a near-six-foot bed; our tester had the optional $650 spray-on bedliner and tonneau cover. The tailgate is very lightweight with the dampers installed, and you’ll find a power centre with three outlets—two 120 V, and one 240 V—to run your equipment off the Silverado’s battery. There’s another 120 V outlet in the frunk for anything you might want to charge while stored. On the Silverado EV RST, the split tailgate and Avalanche-inspired Midgate make for one useful and flexible hauler.
To give you an idea of the Silverado EV’s size, it’s identical in length to a crew cab Silverado with a short box, so it won’t fit quite as well as a Suburban, or even the GMC Hummer EV SUV, if overall length is a concern. Compared to the Hummer, it’s essentially the same base vehicle, but with a widebody kit slapped on to make it Hummer-ously wider. If the Hummer is the extroverted show-off in the family, the Silverado EV is the chill sibling who keeps to himself and is always helpful.
Starting at $80,499 and coming in at $83,724 as-tested including destination, the Silverado EV isn’t exactly cheap compared to its gas-powered Silverado WT compatriot. But considering the performance, range, and sheer utility it offers with no fuel costs, it’s a strong value proposition. Electricity consumption is rated at 31.1/35.7/33.2 kWh/100 km city/highway/combined, and a Level 2 charger installed at home is an absolute must. I plugged in at home with the provided 120 V charger—mostly for entertainment purposes—and was always amused at how many days it was going to take to fill up the Silverado EV’s massive battery. That being said, since the pack is so big and the range is equally large, a quick charge on a Level 2 or Level 3 charger can go a long way. You won’t find yourself stranded.
I expected the Silverado EV to make me want walk into a dealership and put down a bunch of money. I was right, but I think I’ll wait: 2024 is the first model year of this truck, and as such, your selection is limited. For now, there’s only the base 3WT trim with the smaller battery but more towing capacity, our 4WT tester, and the fully loaded—and much more expensive—RST. A handful of mid-level trims are due out in 2025, like the mid-level LT. I think that’ll be the sweet spot for my uses.
If an electric pickup truck or a large SUV is in the cards for you, whether it’s for business or personal use, you’d be doing yourself a disservice by not taking a look at the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV 4WT. It may seem like the complete opposite of what makes a truck a truck, but the electrification of trucks is shaping up to be a game-changer for comfort—without impacting durability or capability.
