General Motors will kick off 2022 by premiering the much-anticipated all-electric Chevy Silverado at CES, just days after the New Year. The electric pickup will represent one of GM's first steps in a more mainstream EV direction, as electrics grow into a bigger part of its production.
GM Chair and CEO Mary Barra will give the opening keynote for CES 2022 on Wednesday, January 5, revealing the electric Silverado as part of the address. The company confirmed today that the latest member of its pickup truck family will offer an available fixed-glass roof that will greatly enhance visibility for front and rear passengers while also improving headroom. It'll be GM's first fixed-glass roof in the full-size pickup segment.
The e-Silverado is shaping up to be an impressive machine, combining an estimated 400-mile (644 km) range with the improved maneuverability of four-wheel steering and a panoramic glass-top cabin. It will ride on the Ultium EV platform that also underpins the new electric Hummers and Cadillac Lyriq.
As the fully electric version of GM's best-selling model, the electric Silverado represents a critical step toward GM's ambition to reach leadership in US EV market share. Likewise, the modular Ultium platform will serve as a cornerstone of that goal, underpinning a growing EV lineup that will also include a mass market-friendly US$30,000 Chevy crossover, Buick crossovers, additional Chevy and GMC trucks, and the Cadillac Celestiq, along with the previously mentioned Hummers and Lyriq. By 2030, GM intends for 50 percent of its North American and Chinese production footprint to be capable of manufacturing EVs, at which point it projects annual EV revenue to be $90 billion, up from a $10 billion projection for 2023.
The electric Silverado will have its work cut out for it right out of the gate, going up against the Rivian R1T, which entered production in September, and the Ford F-150 Lightning, scheduled for a Spring 2022 launch. The R1T, which sizes between traditional mid- and full-size pickups and has a short 4.5-foot (1.4 m) bed, kicks off with a $73K Launch Edition that last month scored a better-than-Rivian-estimated 314-mile (505 km) official EPA range estimate. Rivian also plans to launch a $67,500 314-mile Explore base truck and 400- and 250-mile R1T models.
Ford's F-150 Lightning, meanwhile, shares its full-size dimensions with the ICE-powered F-150 and offers a Ford-estimated range between 230 and 300 miles (370 and 480 km), depending upon battery selected. The Lightning will start at just under $40,000 for the Pro commercial model. The mid-level XLT model will run $52,974, according to pricing info Ford released during the Lightning's debut earlier this year.
The polarizing Tesla Cybertruck was originally supposed to go into production before the end of 2021, but that's been pushed back to late 2022. At the 2019 Cybertruck debut, Tesla gave a price range from $39,900 for the single-motor 250-mile RWD base model to $69,900 for the triple-motor 500-mile range-topper with 2.9-second 0-60 mph (96.5 km/h) speed.
All three sets of prices are before destination/delivery fees and government incentives.
We'll see how the Silverado EV stacks up to the current and future competition when CES rolls around in just under three months.
Source: General Motors