Can an electrical pickup maintain its personal in comparison with a fuel truck when towing?
One V-8-powered pickup proprietor wished to search out out.
He purchased a Chevrolet Silverado EV with a sizeable low cost.
A pickup truck is meant to do all of it. From doing the weekly purchasing to dropping the youngsters off at college, and towing a camper throughout the nation–it shouldn’t break a sweat. And fuel pickups normally rise to the event.
With regards to electrical pickups, nonetheless, it’s unhealthy information when a trailer is concerned. They will tow higher than their gas-powered options, really, however the driving vary is horrible. Effectively, aside from one pickup.
That may be the Chevrolet Silverado EV, which has an enormous battery pack and is among the longest-range EVs on sale in america at this time. However how good of a tow car is it? Right here’s the place Robert Dunn comes into the image. He’s the person behind the Getting older Wheels YouTube channel, and he normally drives up and down the nation towing one thing bizarre. He tried the Ford F-150 Lightning, however beneath typical towing circumstances, it may solely cowl roughly 90 miles whereas making an attempt to not kill the battery utterly.
So, when towing, the situation can be: drive 90 miles, then cost for 40 minutes to get from 10% to 80% state of cost. Then repeat many times till reaching the vacation spot. That’s something however enjoyable.
And it’s not just like the Lightning doesn’t have a giant battery. It does, all 131 kilowatt-hours of it within the case of the Prolonged Vary mannequin, however its charging curve is nothing to write down dwelling about. So right here’s the place the Chevrolet Silverado EV takes the stage.
In its longest-range model, the 2024 Silverado EV is rated at 450 miles on a full cost. (Newer fashions are rated even larger, at 492 miles). That’s as a result of the battery pack is the largest fitted to an electrical pickup stateside: 212 kWh, in accordance with a number of impartial checks. Formally, it’s round 205 kWh.
The Silverado EV also can cost a lot faster than the F-150 Lightning due to its cut up pack that may act as an 800-volt battery and benefit from appropriate DC quick chargers that may ship as much as 350 kW of energy to the pickup.
Because of this, Dunn says he can comfortably cruise for round 150 miles on the freeway whereas towing a trailer. In equity, that’s nonetheless removed from a fuel truck’s efficiency, however as Dunn places it, the expertise of driving an electrical pickup is best. The facility supply is easy, and it’s a extra snug drive.
What makes this explicit electrical pickup extra attention-grabbing is that it’s a Silverado EV Work Truck, which is normally reserved for fleet clients. It doesn’t have any of the niceties discovered on the Silverado EV RST, so it comes with vinyl seats, plastic all over the place, and screens with enormous bezels. But it surely additionally signifies that there are some nice offers available.
Formally, the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV 4WT prices about $80,000. However as a result of they’re apparently sitting on vendor tons accumulating mud, Dunn received his palms on a model new one for $62,000. That’s an excellent deal, however even with such a giant low cost, there are some issues that must be thought of.
First, the charging port is on the rear-left of the automobile, identical to all Tesla EVs. That’s good while you’re not towing and planning on utilizing Tesla Superchargers. When there’s a trailer hooked up, although, it will get much more difficult to make use of DC quick chargers since you both need to unhook the trailer or take up a number of charging spots.
Then, there are the software program points. The 4WT trim doesn’t include the RST’s wraparound screens; it’s a way more fundamental setup, however one which comes with the additional advantage of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. That mentioned, the infotainment system has had a number of bugs, like disappearing buttons, apps crashing randomly, and even the automobile not shutting down after exiting and locking the doorways.
Oh, and the ability shops didn’t work when he first received the car. That situation was fastened on the vendor, nevertheless it’s not an excellent picture for a brand-new automobile. However, the Silverado EV is “the most suitable choice” for towing if you wish to go down the electrical route. It’s not excellent, although.
