Quick Spin: Chevrolet Silverado EV Work Truck

Something special about a basic truck, a work truck, makes you want to roll the windows down when driving through the country and down dirt roads. Well, that’s exactly what I did when I had a little time behind the wheel of the Silverado EV WT in rural Michigan.

While visiting with General Motors in Detroit, Michigan, and the surrounding areas, I had a little wheel time with some of the stars in Chevrolet’s EV lineup ­­— the Blazer EV PPV, Equinox EV, and Silverado EV both in the WT and RST trim packages.

Much like Goldilocks, I tried them all and found one that was “just right,” and that of course was the Silverado EV WT, the work truck version.

The Blazer EV PPV was fun, but I have no practical use for a police pursuit vehicle. The Equinox EV was comfortable and responsive on a road trip, both as the driver and a passenger. The Silverado EV RST was very fast of the line, featured four-wheel steering for tight turning, and was trimmed out with more than enough bells and whistles to make me need to study the manual at night if I ever bought one.

The Silverado EV WT with e4WD just seemed right, handled like a truck, and felt as comfortable as well-worn jeans or your favorite work boots. My daily driver is a Jeep Wrangler JLU without any bells and whistles. I prefer a vehicle that feels rugged, plain, and somewhat utilitarian.

That is how the work truck version of the Silverado EV is, yet not as bare of the creature comforts as my Jeep.

So, what do you get, as far as specs and numbers?

The 2024 Silverado EV WT features:

• Estimated range of 450 miles on the 4WT
• Estimated range of 393 miles on the 3WT
• 10,000 pounds of towing and 1,400 pounds of payload with the 4WT
• 12,500 max towing with the 3WT
• Standard DC fast charging capabilities of up to 350 kW
• Charging ability to add about 100 miles of range in just 10 minutes
• V2H bidirectional charging technology
• An 11-inch infotainment display
• An 8-inch diagonal reconfigurable driver information display
• Up to 510 hp and 615 lb-ft of torque
• Up to 11 outlets that provide a total of 10.2 kW of power

Every 2024 Silverado EV comes standard with Chevy Safety Assist, a package of six advanced safety and driver assistance features. Those are:

• Automatic emergency braking
• Front pedestrian braking
• Lane keep assist with lane departure warning
• Forward collision alert
• Following distance indicator
• IntelliBeam headlights

Walkaround of the Silverado EV WT

The truck debuted last summer and is not just an ICE Silverado converted into electric. It was conceived from the ground up as a battery-electric truck and designed around GM’s Ultium electric platform.

Most people look at the side profile and say, “It looks like an Avalanche.” Well, that is a little true. However, the rear of the WT version is a solid cab and does not open into the bed like an Avalanche. But the Silverado EV RST does, via what engineers call a mid-gate.

Before I jumped into the driver’s seat of the WT version, Stephen Marlin, EV consultant assistant manager, gave me the walkaround tour of the work truck.

“So here we are at the e-trunk, which is when you don’t have an engine anymore,” Marlin said as he started the tour up front under the hood.

He continued and pointed out what the Silverado EV WT offers in lockable storage — up to 400 pounds of payload carrying capacity under the hood. Plus, there are multiple tie downs and six electrical outlets up front, all nestled into the space opened up by not having an internal combustion engine.

“Great use of the space up front here,” Marlin added.

He explained when traveling between job sites, you can secure battery-powered tools up front in the e-trunk and have them charging as you drive, then they are ready to go when the work begins.

If your job calls for a little help, you might need to take several workers along for the day. Chevrolet has you covered there with ample seating for two up front and three in the back seat. Plus, your helpers can be pretty tall since Chevy opened up the legroom in the front and especially the back.

“If you are carrying a crew and the seats are down, there is plenty of room for some very large guys to sit back there. But you can also fold these seats up, throw in tool boxes and other equipment,” Marlin pointed out. Plus, there’s another 120 outlet in the rear seat area for more charging.

Moving further back on the WT, the 5-foot 11-inch bed is an inch longer than the bed on the internal combustion engine (ICE) Silverado work truck. More power outlets, 120 and 240, are designed into the passenger sidewall of the bed and easily accessible from the tailgate.

Marlin said the accessory catalog is expanding and offers products such as soft or hard covers, a rack to protect the rear window, and more.

Taking the Silverado EV on a Road Trip in Michigan

My first spin in the Silverado EV WT (MSRP starting at $66,900) was brief, just a few laps around the GM campus in Warren, Michigan. But two days later I got a better feel for the new pickup during more extended driving sessions.

That day started with a Silverado EV RST road trip from downtown Detroit to the American Center for Mobility in Ypsilanti and then to Robin Hills Farms in Chelsea. Part of the day’s trek had me in control, but I was traveling with Tom Berg, a longtime trucking journalist and a former editor at Work Truck’s sister publication Heavy Duty Trucking. We swapped driving responsibilities, allowing each of us to have about an hour and 20 minutes behind the wheel and that same amount of time as a passenger. That allowed ample time to gain a perspective on the RST version, and it is a nice ride.

Although I am focused on sharing the experience of driving the work truck version, I should also share a little about the Silverado EV RST (MSRP starting at $96,495) and explain why we drove it to the American Center for Mobility’s test track.

The simple explanation is WOW.

In GM lingo that means Wide Open Watts, a special configuration in the settings that give the truck up to 784 lb-ft of torque and 754 hp. According to Chevrolet’s website, in WOW mode the RST will do zero to 60 mph in under 4.5 seconds, but over breakfast that morning the chief engineer had told us they had been achieving times under 4.3 seconds earlier in the week.

With that much power and torque, I was glad my cohort took the first shot at WOW mode. It was a simple test, floor the accelerator and hang on. I was riding shotgun on the first run, but then traded spots for the second run.

No need for me to time it, since I will not dispute just how blazing fast it rocketed us down a straightaway on the test track. Other EVs may throw you back in the seat a bit, but you really feel the forces against your body when you floor the RST in WOW mode.

Testing the Chevrolet Silverado EV at a Michigan Farm

Once the adrenaline receded and our heart rates returned to normal, we headed to Robin Hills Farms where we were presented with multiple trucks, both WT and RTS, to get to know further.

Even though I prefer the feel of the WT, the RST did have a few advantages.

First, all-wheel steering made for much tighter turns when navigating a light offroad cross that meandered through the farm.

I later learned that you can switch modes to off-road in the RST. I saw little difference in capabilities, but it was a relief not to constantly have my seat vibrate warnings when the truck thought bushes on either side of the trail were pedestrians. Yep, be sure to turn that off if you are driving the RST offroad in tight spots.

The other key advantage of the RST is the Multi-Flex Midgate with pass-through, which opens up cargo into the cab area. Paired with a Multi-Flex Tailgate and load stop, the RST features up to 10 feet 10 inches of cargo floor space in the bed.

While I had access to several GM engineers who had worked on the Silverado EV, I asked about the main differences between the WT and RST versions.

Both trucks have standard cruise, adaptive cruise, and lane-keep assistance. But only the RST has Super Cruise that allows the driver to go hands-free.

The WT is equipped with a basic screen, albeit large, but the RST comes with a more high-end infotainment screen. Also, only the RST has the WOW setting for max torque and horsepower.

The RST rides on larger 22-inch wheels, compared to the WT’s  18-inch wheels, and has the four-wheel steering.

The two differ in suspension as well. The WT is supported by a coil suspension system while the RST has air suspension and adaptive dampers. The WT’s air suspension can lower you when setting up for WOW mode, or raise you when it is time to go off road.

What It’s Like Driving the Silverado EV WT

The Silverado EV WT does not have four-wheel steering, but it still handled the trails, turns, hills, and descents around Robin Hills Farm nicely. Using the One-Pedal driving mode, speed was easily controlled over any terrain or slope. It just felt like what I call a real truck, the Goldilocks truck ­— not too fancy, but just fancy enough.

I took the truck out for a 20-minute drive on the rural roads outside Chelsea, and I was just as comfortable driving it as my daily driver.

The preset navigation was easy to see on what I consider a very large infotainment screen. That counts. I hate when a screen is small and I have to don reading glasses to watch for the distance to my next turn. However, that was not the case with any of the Chevrolet EVs I drove.

As a manual transmission guy, I am early to let off the gas, downshift, and nearly coast to a stop. That means I start slowing down long before a stop or intersection.

But with the One-Pedal Drive, I did have a little learning curve. The One-Pedal approach does help increase the energy captured from the regenerative braking, but you learn to drive all the way to stop and feather the accelerator pedal. Not bad once I got the hang of it.

At one point in the drive I stopped at an intersection and had to make a left turn onto a two-lane highway, with no traffic in either direction. So, I wanted to see how the truck would get up to speed.

The truck is responsive and quick, with ample torque to get you moving and up to speed quickly. I slowed to 40 or 45 mph and then hit it again to simulate passing acceleration. Again, the WT is quick and strong.

However, I did not run the truck fast since earlier in the trip a GM engineer told us “We own the vehicles, you own the tickets.” Honestly, I am too cheap to drive fast enough to worry about paying for tickets.

Takeaways After Several Days of Extensive Driving

GM has some good things going on with features like WOW and Super Cruise, and the mid-gate design of the Silverado EV RST, but the WT likewise is a solid truck with slightly fewer features. After three days of mingling with their engineers, I walked away impressed that they were smart, talented people, who love what they do and are excited about what they have created. They don’t just test the trucks in a lab and on the track, they drive them in their daily lives as they work to figure out how to perfect their offering.

My wife all too often listens to me ramble about how people nowadays think they have to have every possible feature in their vehicles, in particular SUVs and trucks.

So, I was thrilled to find the Silverado EV WT was a blend of feeling like a rugged, normal, work truck; yet the designers subtly blended in technology so you are not overwhelmed.

With the comfort, capabilities, and range; I think GM has created a winner in the work truck segment and I don’t doubt that time will prove so.