2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV Work Truck First Drive Review: Work Buddy

Because much like what the F-150 is to Ford, the Silverado is to Chevy and by extension GM. It absolutely needs the Silverado EV to not only do combat against the F-150 Lightning and others but also to serve as a showcase of its all-electric technology to its legion of loyal truck buyers.

Our first real-world taste of the new Silverado EV came behind the wheel of Chevy’s Work Truck (WT) model. Meant for fleet and commercial customers when it first goes on sale later this year, it’s decidedly less flashy than consumer-facing versions like its RST counterpart Chevy has recently showcased.

For example, the front fascia of the Work Truck wears unpainted bits that are both easier to build and more forgiving about getting scratched up, the 24-inch wheels of the RST are swapped for 18-inch aluminum ones with big-sidewall tires, there’s a non-adjustable steel spring setup instead of air suspension, the infotainment screen is 11 inches instead of 17 like it is in the RST, and the interior wears all-black upholstery. Note that the WT will not have the Chevy Avalanche-like midgate feature. The 5-foot, 11-inch bed is all you’ll get.

Like the GMC Hummer EV, the Silverado EV is also built using GM’s Ultium electric car platform. Chevy isn’t saying how big the battery is at this point, but you can reasonably expect something in the 200-kWh range. In the WT’s configuration, it translates to a claimed 510 hp, 615 lb-ft of torque, a payload of up to 1,440 pounds, and a towing capacity of up to 10,000 pounds (a max-tow package with a 20,000-pound capacity will be available at a later date). There are seven standard outlets that offer 7.2 kW of offboard power, but an optional accessory power bar increases that to up to 10 outlets that offer 10.2 kW of off-board power.

But the truck’s headline item is its range: Chevy says the Silverado EV 4WT will return an EPA-estimated range of 450 miles on a full charge. Subsequent 3WT and RST First Edition models will reportedly travel 350 and 400 miles to a charge, respectively. Those numbers appear to outclass the present F-150 Lightning and Rivian R1T by a significant margin, but we’ll have to conduct our own tests to be certain.

While neck-snapping acceleration is a fun EV party trick, it’s doubtful that most everyday drivers are constantly mashing the accelerator. That’s especially true with a fleet vehicle, one that you want to behave as normally as possible given its mission. In that regard, the Silverado EV WT shines.

Once you get over the weirdness of the lack of a start button (press the brake pedal to turn it on and simply exit after you park to turn it off), the WT behaves like your average truck. There’s no fanfare about its all-electric powertrain. The steering feels very natural and is communicated through a steering wheel that’s a good size and feels nice in the hand. There’s certainly more than enough power and acceleration on tap to get moving, but it’s all very manageable.

You can control the aggression of the regenerative braking, and one-pedal driving is totally possible. We were impressed by the braking in general, as some EVs tend to hiccup when switching between the regen and friction brakes. Pressing on the left pedal results in smooth deceleration bereft of any stuttering. A Chevy engineer further explained the braking system is constantly working to blend the two together to ensure the most optimum stopping power and regenerative force. The team took great pains to guarantee the smoothest braking feedback possible.

But perhaps the greatest revelation lies in the truck’s turning radius. Surely something roughly the size of a small school bus ought to negotiate turns as such? Nope! Because of its lack of an engine and cab-forward design, the Silverado EV’s chief engineer Nichole Kraatz said she and her team completely redesigned its suspension and steering geometries to achieve a far smaller turning circle than you’d believe. It makes parking and performing K-turns in the WT much easier; it was so easy, in fact, that we originally thought the WT was equipped with four-wheel steering. (It wasn’t and won’t be, but the RST will have it.)

Finally, we’d love to give props to the electric Silverado WT’s unadorned interior. It’s an honest and functional one, with black upholstery and swaths of black plastic. It’s a welcome break from recent pickup truck trends that have them decked out to the nines in open-pore wood and buttery leathers. Sure, that stuff’s nice, but it can also feel too nice to get dirty. The WT’s interior empowers you to take on projects because a little scuff here and there won’t make a huge difference—you could argue it all becomes patina after a while. This truck is a work tool, and you may use it as such.

Both stuff and people will have a wonderful time spreading out in the WT. It’s a gargantuan truck, make no mistake, but Chevy translated that massive footprint into a palatial cabin. There are deep cubbies for front-row storage, and rear passengers are treated to scores of legroom.

Owing to the fact that it uses steel springs, the WT responds to road imperfections with a decent amount of porpoising. A cruder ride is to be expected of a regular, body-on-frame pickup truck, but the WT isn’t built on a body-on-frame setup. It also tends to bounce over bigger speed bumps and makes us wonder whether weighing down the bed would help. Still, it’s a nearly 9,000-pound truck, so there are only so many suspension trade-offs you can make; it’s by no means a dealbreaker. Fortunately, the RST version will use air suspension, so that will probably improve overall comfort.

As I’ve noted before, I’m 5-foot-3, which is not tall but also not abnormally short. The seat didn’t raise in the WT model I tested, so as a result, I had difficulty seeing out of it. Kraatz said the truck’s designers lowered the cowl and shortened the hood for improved forward visibility, but I couldn’t take advantage of these thoughtful design changes. From my vantage point, I also couldn’t see where the bed ended and what lay alongside the body.

This is an experience most full-size pickup owners today have to grin and bear because vehicles just keep getting bigger and bigger, but thinking about driving the WT in a dense urban environment made me uneasy. I also recognize this is uniquely a Me Problem, but the best I can recommend is to be especially mindful of your surroundings while behind the wheel.

As a final demonstration, Chevy hooked up a 10,000-pound load to the WT’s trailer hitch and sent us out. Initial impressions are that we could barely feel the trailer back there. Acceleration remained smooth and easygoing, although it took a little longer. Braking, obviously, has to happen a bit sooner, but you can still one-pedal drive. The biggest difference is it’s more difficult to maintain speed while towing, but turning on cruise control while on the highway ought to smooth that right out.

Once hooked up to a trailer, the WT gives you real-time range estimates depending on how heavy it is. This information is displayed clearly on the digital driver cluster and should take some guesswork out of trip planning.

There was a lot of buzz surrounding the January 2022 announcement that the Silverado EV would have a $41,000-ish base price. So far, however, we’ve yet to see it. The 4WT we drove carried a starting price of $79,800. Ouch. Still, Chevy insists that’s competitive for the segment and has recently communicated pricing for the Silverado EV lineup will start in the $50,000 range and move up from there. For what it’s worth, a presentation slide shown at the launch event we attended listed base prices for the 3WT and RST First Edition at $74,800 and $106,895, respectively. Ultimately, we’ll have to wait and see if buyers will go for it.

A near-$80,000 starting price for a bare-bones work truck is a tough pill to swallow. We get why that is to a certain extent given its all-new platform and advanced battery tech. But through that same lens, its basic interior and crashy ride quality become much harder to justify.

On its face, though, the 2024 Chevy Silverado EV WT is a promising start. We’ll reserve judgment on its real-world range and towing capabilities outside this very brief preview, but at first pass, it seems to be a no-frills tool that’ll happily keep up with you at the job site. And this is only the beginning.

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