Check this out. A new Chevy Silverado EV work truck went 1,059.2 miles on a single charge of electricity. This is a lot farther than a recent record set by a Lucid Air Touring model. The Lucid Air sedan when 749 miles on a single charge. Here is how they did it. Let’s dig in.
The data provided by Chevrolet was not verified by an independent party during or at the completion of this test drive. Chevrolet says: “This effort was born as a team building / passion project and it was executed by GM engineering.“
We have additional information about how the Chevy team accomplished it. I was invited to the Milford Proving Grounds in Michigan last week, and I saw this Silverado EV WT in person. When I saw the truck, it was showing 98% charge with 1,594 miles on the odometer.
There was a Stratasys F370 3D printer plugged into the truck’s power export outlet. The printer was printing a 1,059 mile award. The truck printed its own award. It used approximately 2% of its 205 kWh battery to print our the plastic award. Where does the 205 kWh battery capacity come from? It’s stated on a government compliance sticker under the hood of the truck.
Did Chevrolet modify this 2026 Silverado EV WT (work truck) Max Range truck in order to accomplish this crazy long single charge drive? They say everything they did can be reproduced by any Chevy Silverado EV WT Max Range owner.
Chevrolet accomplished this record drive on public roads around their Milford Proving Grounds and on Detroit’s Belle Isle. The key was their driving route that kept the average speed low, and their driving style (no fast launches). Here’s the only data image the Chevrolet team shared.
This large AWD pickup truck that weighs around 9,000 pounds averaged 4.9 miles/kWh during this test drive. This is remarkable. My wife’s tiny BMW i3 RWD commuter car averages 4.6 miles/kWh. The Chevy team told me that they ran this truck from a 100% state of charge to 0% (when the truck could no longer be driven).
A quick calculation 1,059.2 miles divided by 4.9 mi/kWh suggests that the total battery capacity of this truck is actually closer to 216 kWh. However, we have also seen data that suggests that the battery has 212 kWh of usable capacity. No matter what the exact number is, this battery is huge.
Here is a statement by Chevrolet.
- The truck’s hardware and software were untouched, and the only adjustments made were well within the real-world capabilities of Silverado EV owners.
- When it was safe to do so, drivers were advised to maintain an average speed of 20-25 mph and to mitigate any hard breaking or accelerating quickly.
- For the majority of the test, there was only the driver and no passengers in the truck.
- The windshield wiper blade position was set to the lowest acceptable position to reduce drag.
- Tires were inflated to their highest acceptable pressure for lower rolling resistance (close to 80 psi).
- The spare tire was removed to lighten the vehicle.
- The wheel alignment was optimized.
- An accessory tonneau cover was added for smooth airflow.
- Climate control was turned off for the duration of the test.
- And finally, the test was performed in summer for optimum ambient temperature for battery efficiency.
If you want more information – here is our original driving range test of a Silverado EV WT when pulling a large box trailer.
