I Drove a Silverado EV 800 Miles and Almost Canceled My Denali Diesel To Wait For The Denali EV, Good Thing I Didn't

The Chevrolet Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV are GM’s twin visions of a future barreling toward us on a lithium-powered freight train. But these aren’t trucks in the traditional sense. They're simulacra of working-class icons, once the heart of American labor, now sleek, silent, software-defined monuments to green ambition. 

Electric Pickup Realities & Diesel Denali Comparison

These aren't the rugged, squared-off machines we grew up with. They're digital appliances that wear truck badges but share more soul with an iPad than a Cummins straight-six. And yet, they're supposed to be the next-generation workhorses. 

A Redditor by the name Digitalzombie90 recently got a long-term taste of the Silverado EV WT and summed it up:

“I have been given a Silverado EV WT as a rental. I personally own a 3.0 Denali Ult with Super Cruise. I drove it about 100 miles a day for 4 days, then took it on a 3-day road trip, about 800 miles round.

Truck averages 2.1 miles per KW/h if you drive a mix of city and fwy, it averaged 1.5 miles per KW/h if you drive 82 mph cruise control fwy only (this was tested over 600 miles). It did not do a 350-mile one-way on a single charge, we had to stop once on the way there, once while there, and twice on the way back, overall adding 5 hours to the trip time.

A 350KW/h charger charges the truck at 250KW/h when the battery is at 25%, and 150KW/h when the battery is at 75%. A full charge of 200KW/h takes about 1.5 hours on the 350KW/H charger.

A home Level 2 charger (32 amp 240V on a 50 Amp service line) charges the truck at 7KW/h if it's empty, less if it's close to full. It takes about 35 hours to fully charge the truck from almost empty.

Air suspension sucks compared to Denali Ult suspension. It is harsh when it needs to be compliant and soft when it needs to be tight. I am extremely disappointed.

It drives like an electric car, which drives like every other electric car or SUV. There is absolutely no way of telling whether you are driving a Chevy truck and not a Hyundai crossover. It is fast and agile for its size and weight, but that does not matter to me that much.

For my own purposes, driving about 30k miles a year, 15k of that being 82mph fwy driving, this truck will average 1.8 miles per KW/h, it will have an average range of 300 miles to a full charge. Charge price hierarchy is at home after 9 pm, 30 cents per KW/h, at home before 9 pm, 45 cents per KW/h, fast charger on the road, 64 cents per KW/h. Considering diesel is $4.5 per gallon, this truck is the economic equivalent of getting 27mpg (home after 9), 18mpg (home before 9), 13mpg (on the road).

I had it at 25% prior to giving the truck back, needed to charge on the road, closest chargers were 30KW,  and they don't even do a dent on this truck. It would literally take all day. I drove out an extra 20 minutes to find a 350KW charger and waited there almost an hour between the nonworking stall and the busy stall, and the charge time.

Impressions:

I almost canceled my Denali diesel to wait for the Denali EV I am glad I did not. I would have spent $20k more, gotten about 15mpg worth of fuel cost, and had to stop all the time to charge. This vehicle might be good for someone else, someone who has solar in their home, buys the level 3 charger from GM, does not drive it more than 60-80 miles a day, and can keep it topped off all the time. For me, charging technology, charging infrastructure, electric cost, and vehicle efficiency are way too out of whack for me to make use of this vehicle.

PS: I did not carry weight in the bed or towed, which are things I normally do with my truck. I am not sure what kind of hell I would be if I were towing 3-4k lb for 400 miles and had to stop 3 times, detach trailer, charge, and reattach. The trip would take 12 hours .”

The real elephant in the bed is weight, nearly 9,000 pounds depending on spec, and the realities of charging that mass on the road. 

Chevy Silverado EV Fast-Charging Reality: 250 kW Peaks vs. Real-World Wait Times

The Silverado EV did ace Car and Driver’s fast-charging test, but as our Reddit tester found out, that theoretical performance evaporates in the wild. 

Peak charge rates of 250+ kW are great, but when you’re stuck waiting behind someone else or dealing with non-functional chargers, it's as useless as a fifth wheel on a tricycle. 

Silverado EV’s Integrated Ultium Chassis: Redefining Body-on-Frame Strength

• The Silverado EV introduces a unique structural design that deviates from traditional body-on-frame or unibody constructions. Instead, it employs a new architecture where the Ultium battery pack is integrated into the vehicle's structure, enhancing rigidity and contributing to the vehicle's overall strength and durability. 
• Built on GM's Ultium platform, the Silverado EV benefits from a modular and scalable architecture. This platform allows for various battery configurations and drive units, enabling the design of vehicles with different sizes, shapes, and performance characteristics, all while maintaining efficiency and reducing production complexity. 
• The absence of a traditional internal combustion engine allowed designers to reimagine the vehicle's layout. Features like the Multi-Flex Midgate and a spacious front trunk (eTrunk) were incorporated, enhancing cargo capacity and utility. Additionally, the shortened hood and forward-shifted cab improve driver visibility and interior space. 
• The Silverado EV is equipped with GM's Ultifi software platform, enabling over-the-air updates and continuous improvement of vehicle features. This system allows for the addition of new functionalities over time, ensuring the vehicle remains up-to-date with the latest technologies and user preferences.

More troubling is the charging curve: even the best-case scenario has you tethered for well over an hour to get anywhere near full. One user on Reddit calculated the real-world cost breakdown: charging at home after 9 p.m. is the equivalent of 27 mpg diesel, respectable. But roadside DC fast charging? That plummets to an eye-watering 13 mpg equivalent.

All of this might be forgivable if the truck drove like a Silverado should. But it doesn’t. The air suspension was described as schizophrenic, “harsh when it needs to be compliant, and soft when it needs to be tight.” 

Another user who tried the Sierra EV noted, “Other than the steering wheel, it felt less luxurious than my standard AT4.” Even the acceleration and agility, which should be show-stoppers in an EV of this scale, were dismissed by Digitalzombie90 as meaningless. 

“It drives like every other electric car or SUV. There is absolutely no way of telling you are driving a Chevy truck and not a Hyundai crossover.” 

That’s the kind of brand dilution you can’t afford when asking north of $80,000.

Towing and hauling, cornerstones of any pickup’s credibility, weren’t even tested in the review. But the writer offered a chilling hypothetical: imagine pulling 4,000 pounds over 400 miles and having to stop three times, each time detaching and reattaching a trailer just to reach the charger. 

Inside GM’s Ultium Platform: Modular EV Architecture Powering the Silverado EV

The estimated 12-hour odyssey was enough to make him thankful he didn’t trade in his diesel. This is the bottom line that Ford, Ram, and Rivian must also confront: EVs can go toe-to-toe in acceleration, torque, and brag-worthy specs, but they’re still on the ropes when it comes to endurance.

And then there’s the financial angle, the death by a thousand hidden cuts. Higher initial purchase price, worse depreciation, and higher insurance premiums. One user reported quotes north of $4,000 a year. Factor in the loss of traditional incentives, GM family discounts, and the real cost of downtime at a charger, and suddenly that futuristic pickup isn’t saving you anything. “To me,” wrote Trick_Mix_4236, “time is money.” And for most truck owners, that equation doesn’t balance, at least not yet.

Silverado EV Cargo Revolution: Multi-Flex Midgate & eTrunk Innovations

• The Silverado EV offers three battery options: 119 kWh (Standard Range), 170 kWh (Extended Range), and 205 kWh (Max Range). The RST trim, equipped with the Max Range battery, provides an estimated range of 440 miles on a full charge. 
• Utilizing a 350 kW DC fast charger, the Silverado EV can add approximately 100 miles of range in just 10 minutes. For home charging, a Level 2 charger (240V) can fully recharge the battery in about 8 to 10 hours. 
• The Silverado EV features dual permanent magnet motors with e4WD, delivering up to 754 horsepower and 785 lb-ft of torque in the RST's Wide Open Watts mode. It measures 233.1 inches in length, 81.6 inches in width, and 78.0 inches in height, with a wheelbase of 145.7 inches. 
• The curb weight varies by trim, with the 4WT model weighing approximately 8,532 pounds.

There is, however, a sliver of light in this storm of skepticism. GM’s Ultium platform has real potential. The fast charging, the range (when driven conservatively), and the tech onboard are proof that the building blocks are there. But a work truck isn’t a tablet on wheels, it’s a tool.

And right now, these EV pickups feel like prototypes masquerading as production vehicles. In the words of cshmn, whose comment became the spiritual thesis of the thread, “Electric cars are great, for certain use cases. Electric pickups are dumb.”

GM Ultifi OTA Updates: How Silverado EV Stays Future-Proof

The Silverado EV and Sierra EV are two sides of the same coin, futuristic, capable, and groundbreaking in theory, but when reality hits, you’re left holding a very expensive lesson. Until infrastructure catches up, until charging becomes faster and more reliable, and until these machines can match the utility of the diesels they aim to replace, many buyers, like our 800-mile Reddit hero, are right to stay put.

The future may be electric, but for now, the diesel Denali still gets the job done.

What do you think about the Chevy Silverado EV? Let us know in the comments below. 

Image Sources: Chevy Newsroom

Noah Washington is an automotive journalist based in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys covering the latest news in the automotive industry and conducting reviews on the latest cars. He has been in the automotive industry since 15 years old and has been featured in prominent automotive news sites. You can reach him on X and LinkedIn for tips and to follow his automotive coverage.