- Can an electric pickup hold its own compared to a gas truck when towing?
- One V-8-powered pickup owner wanted to find out.
- He bought a Chevrolet Silverado EV with a sizeable discount.
A pickup truck is supposed to do it all. From doing the weekly shopping to dropping the kids off at school, and towing a camper across the country–it shouldn’t break a sweat. And gas pickups usually rise to the occasion.
When it comes to electric pickups, however, it’s bad news when a trailer is involved. They can tow better than their gas-powered alternatives, actually, but the driving range is terrible. Well, except for one pickup.
That would be the Chevrolet Silverado EV, which has a massive battery pack and is one of the longest-range EVs on sale in the United States today. But how good of a tow vehicle is it? Here’s where Robert Dunn comes into the picture. He’s the man behind the Aging Wheels YouTube channel, and he usually drives up and down the country towing something weird. He tried the Ford F-150 Lightning, but under typical towing conditions, it could only cover roughly 90 miles while trying not to kill the battery completely.
So, when towing, the scenario would be: drive 90 miles, then charge for 40 minutes to get from 10% to 80% state of charge. Then repeat again and again until reaching the destination. That’s anything but fun.
And it’s not like the Lightning doesn’t have a big battery. It does, all 131 kilowatt-hours of it in the case of the Extended Range model, but its charging curve is nothing to write home about. So here’s where the Chevrolet Silverado EV takes the stage.
In its longest-range version, the 2024 Silverado EV is rated at 450 miles on a full charge. (Newer models are rated even higher, at 492 miles). That’s because the battery pack is the biggest fitted to an electric pickup stateside: 212 kWh, according to several independent tests. Officially, it’s around 205 kWh.
The Silverado EV can also charge much quicker than the F-150 Lightning thanks to its split pack that can act as an 800-volt battery and take advantage of compatible DC fast chargers that can send up to 350 kW of power to the pickup.
As a result, Dunn says he can comfortably cruise for around 150 miles on the highway while towing a trailer. In fairness, that’s still far from a gas truck’s performance, but as Dunn puts it, the experience of driving an electric pickup is better. The power delivery is effortless, and it’s a more comfortable drive.
What makes this particular electric pickup more interesting is that it’s a Silverado EV Work Truck, which is usually reserved for fleet customers. It doesn’t have any of the niceties found on the Silverado EV RST, so it comes with vinyl seats, plastic everywhere, and screens with huge bezels. But it also means that there are some great deals to be had.
Officially, the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV 4WT costs about $80,000. But because they’re apparently sitting on dealer lots collecting dust, Dunn got his hands on a brand new one for $62,000. That’s a good deal, but even with such a big discount, there are some things that should be considered.
First, the charging port is on the rear-left of the car, just like all Tesla EVs. That’s good when you’re not towing and planning on using Tesla Superchargers. When there’s a trailer attached, though, it gets a lot more complicated to use DC fast chargers because you either have to unhook the trailer or take up several charging spots.
Then, there are the software issues. The 4WT trim doesn’t come with the RST’s wraparound screens; it’s a much more basic setup, but one that comes with the added benefit of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. That said, the infotainment system has had multiple bugs, like disappearing buttons, apps crashing randomly, and even the car not shutting down after exiting and locking the doors.
Oh, and the power outlets didn’t work when he first got the vehicle. That issue was fixed at the dealer, but it’s not a good image for a brand-new car. Nevertheless, the Silverado EV is “the best option” for towing if you want to go down the electric route. It’s not perfect, though.
