Welcome to a TFLtruck exclusive new pickup truck comparison. This is the all-new 2024 Chevy Silverado EV versus a new Ford F-150 Lightning versus the Ike GauntletTM – the world’s toughest towing test. These two pickups cost the same, but they are very different. Mr Truck and I hook up a 9,000 lbs trailer behind these trucks and run them up and down the Rocky Mountain continental divide.
Ike GauntletTM
This is the world’s toughest towing test because this is an 8-mile stretch of I-70 with a 7% grade and a top elevation of 11,158 feet above sea level. We load up these pickups and SUVs near their maximum capability to run this test. If they can do well here, they can do great anywhere.
We have done 168 Ike GauntletTM towing tests & comparisons over the last 10 years. This is our first very close and competitive electric pickup side-by-side towing comparison. We considered including a new Rivian R1T pickup truck in this episode, but the new “Max battery” R1T pickup was not available yet. Please stay tuned until next weekend when we can show you a towing test with a new Rivian pickup and its new towing & off-road software upgrade.
Chevy Silverado EV
This is Chevrolet’s all-new clean-sheet design. It’s a pickup truck with two electric motors, AWD capability, four corner independent coil-sprung suspension, a huge crew cab, and a large 5’11” bed. Chevrolet is launching this pickup as a maximum-range WT (work truck). It has an estimated 450-mile total driving range. Let’s see how far it can go with a 9,000-pound trailer.
Ford F-150 Lightning
The Lightning is an adaptation of the internal combustion F-150 chassis. The Lightning has a lot in common with other F-150 crew cabs. The Lightning also has two electric motors, AWD capability, four corner independent coil-sprung suspension, an F-150 crew cab, and a 5’6” bed. It has an estimated 320-mile total driving range.
| Silverado EV 4WT | F-150 Lightning ER | |
| Power | 515 hp | 580 hp |
| Torque | 600 lb-ft | 775 lb-ft |
| — | — | |
| Battery | 212 kWh approx. | 134 kWh approx. |
| Range est. | 450 miles | 320 miles |
| Curb Weight | 8,500 lbs approx. | 7,000 lbs approx. |
| — | — | |
| Max Payload | 1,400 lbs approx. | 1,500 lbs approx. |
| Max Towing | 10,000 lbs | 10,000 lbs |
| — | — | |
| As Tested | $79,800 | $80,440 |
Here are the Ike GauntletTM results.
| Silverado EV 4WT | F-150 Lightning ER | |
| Suspension Squat | 1.25 inch | 1.25 inch |
| Downhill Energy Gained (8-mile) | 9.3 kWh | 8 kWh |
| Uphill time | 8 minutes | 8 minutes |
| Uphill Energy Used (8-mile) | 23.3 kWh | 24.1 kWh |
Both pickup trucks were remarkably stable and comfortable to drive. The Silverado EV 4WT cabin was a little more noisy on rough pavement. The Silverado EV regenerated more energy on the way down and it used less energy on the way up! It’s more efficient and has a tremendous towing range.
I towed 9,000 lbs with the Silverado EV 4WT 182 miles up and down Colorado mountains, and the truck still had 30% left in the battery at the end of the day. Naturally, this includes climbing mountains and gaining some energy back on the downhill.
This Silverado EV proves that driving range is no longer a problem. There are still some other concerns about the availability of the fast charging network and reliable recharging times, but this truck solves the range problem.
Please join Mr.Truck and me for a complete Ike GauntletTM comparison in the video below.
