Electric Chevrolet Silverado: GM’s lips sealed over EV ute

More than 12 months on from the unveiling of the Chevrolet Silverado EV, the brand’s first fully electric pick-up truck, and it’s still up in the air whether the model is destined for launch in right-hand drive markets like New Zealand.

General Motors Specialty Vehicles’ current Australasian line-up is made up of the lauded, mid-engined Corvette C8 and the recently updated pure combustion V8 Silverado LTZ and ZR2.

Speaking to Stuff at the launch of the latter last week, General Motors Australia and New Zealand managing director Marc Ebolo confirmed that nothing has changed regarding the status of the Silverado EV and its chances of a launch Down Under.

“We haven’t really changed our stance. We’re certainly really excited about where GM is going in their electrification, and of course – we as GM in Australia and New Zealand – would love to go on that ride with them,” said Ebolo.

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The managing director did briefly tease that the brand has some significant announcements to make later in 2023, although what these will be and whether they will relate to electrification remains unknown.

“This year is going to be a very exciting year for us across all of our business units, whether it be AC Delco or Chevrolet Racing or GM. There will be announcements to make throughout the year and I think there will be a much clearer picture on the direction that we want to go,” Ebolo added.

The Silverado EV is based on GM’s ‘Ultium’ electric vehicle platform, which is the same ‘skateboard’-style architecture that underpins the likes of the GMC Hummer EV and Cadillac Lyriq EV.

The flagship Silverado EV RST features dual motors, all-wheel drive, and a staggering 495kW of power and in excess of 1056Nm of torque. Range is rated at 644km per charge, with some tipping the model will utilise a 200kWh battery in its highest trims.

GMSV has confirmed one electrified model for the Australian and New Zealand market; the all-wheel drive Corvette E-Ray hybrid.

Ebolo noted that the model isn’t expected to overtake the standard 6.2-litre Corvette Stingray 3LT in the pecking order. “Similar to ZO6, [E-Ray] is going to be very niche, very low volumes,” he said.

General Motors has previously shown plenty of enthusiasm around the opportunities around electrification and right-hand drive. Namely, the fact that converting left-hand drive models to right-hand drive becomes much simpler in EVs thanks to the relative lack of moving parts.

Speaking to media in mid-2022, Shilpan Amin, GM Senior Vice President and President of GM International said that GM is “committed to deploying its zero emissions and autonomous technologies globally to help build a sustainable future for the planet”.

“Here’s the exciting part of a purpose-built electric platform – no longer do you have to design and develop unique engines and transmissions that have to go through calibration and field development. We can efficiently scale these products and make them available around the world,” Amin said.

“The other part of this is the conversion between left-hand drive and right-hand drive. It’s still something we have to design and develop up front into the architecture, but it is much simpler when you don’t have an engine sitting in front of you that limits your ability to provide these products in right-hand drive.”

Former GMSV general manager Matthew Taylor told New Zealand media in March of last year that there would definitely be local interest in the Silverado EV, adding that “outside of North America there’s not much information. […] We haven’t heard anything, they haven’t announced anything outside of the North American market for electric cars yet.”

The Silverado EV is one of a swathe of fully electric large pick-ups to be unveiled in America over the last few years. These include the aforementioned Hummer, plus the Ford F-150 Lightning, Ram 1500 REV, Rivian R1-T, and Tesla Cybertruck.

Out of those mentioned, only the Rivian has been confirmed as a model that will eventually be produced in right-hand drive so far.