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jeffmc306 · 01-05-2022, 12:57 PM

TFL Trucks posted a video after the announcement of the new electric Chevy Silverado. GM opened early reservations and sold out in 12 minutes.

Pretty interesting specs with up to 400 mile range, 10000 lbs. towing with up to 20K in the future. Production to start in fall of 2023. WT versions will start around $39K with the RST model coming in over $100K.

jcl · 01-05-2022, 01:23 PM

Really glad to see another US manufacturer move ahead with a modern BEV product.

It will be interesting to see how the Chev works out compared to the Ford BEV pickup. Ford adapted a current chassis, with all the limitations that entails, but will get to market sooner. The Chev was forecast to be 2022, so that wasn't going to be much of a delay. They have now announced that they will have a WT (work truck) version available in 2023, with the RT (loaded with options) at the end of 2023, but only in a special edition priced at $105 k US +. Production ramp is 2024/2025. Ford has announced that their second generation BEV pickup (on a dedicated chassis, similar to the Chev concept) will be out in 2024/2025, so those will be the two models to compare against each other.

I like the unitized body, but expect that some won't. Like an Avalanche/Ridgeline. The midgate looks like a worthwhile option.

350 kW maximum charge rate, which is a good spec, but it will be important to find out how much of the battery pack can be charged at that rate. Half? Less? With the very large battery pack, charging will simply take longer. That won't matter for daily commutes, but it will for longer trips.

10.2 kW of offboard power looks like a good spec, and bidirectional charging is a big plus (run your house from your truck).

Independent four wheel suspension is a huge step forward. Not sure why we need 24" wheels, but so it goes.

Up to 1300 lbs of payload on the RST. With up to 10,000 lb tow capacity. Let the debate commence.

Future 20,000 lb tow capacity, but no word on future payload.

They call the frunk an e trunk. Looks easy to load.

Supercruise (a form of autonomous driving, on dedicated roads) includes trailer towing. Interesting.

I wish them well.

https://electrek.co/2022/01/05/2024-...ower-and-more/

dznf0g · 01-05-2022, 01:34 PM

The GM "skateboard" chassis platform concept has been hinted at for a long time. First retail application was the Bolt. Others include huge truck and military platforms. Each size allows for a lot of flexibility as to what can be mounted on top.

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Pappy3393 · 01-05-2022, 02:00 PM

I wonder what the estimated mileage will be when towing a heavy AS. Payload of 1300 is a non starter for me.

Pappy3393 · 01-05-2022, 02:04 PM

And how long it will take to recharge and access to rapid recharge stations. I am sure as we migrate to more electric vehicles, the charging stations will become more available.

dznf0g · 01-05-2022, 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pappy3393

I wonder what the estimated mileage will be when towing a heavy AS. Payload of 1300 is a non starter for me.

Roughly 50%

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Daquenzer · 01-05-2022, 02:28 PM

At least the Ford CEO was right when he said up front that those people that have to tow significant loads and/or in rural areas will not be using BEV's for quite some time. To me this is more of the same. Just not practical for towing a 6,000 to 7,000lb travel trailer. Next.

pteck · 01-05-2022, 02:34 PM

Who's going to go out on a limb and try a new EV truck from the market leader? 26 EVs sold in Q4 of 2021.

Glad to see another player on the market but just poking fun at GMs EV competency.

Dennis C · 01-05-2022, 03:06 PM

I'm happy to see it, and it was only a matter of time. I agree that the on-board charge controller speed will be an important thing for this truck. If it's capable of charging at 300 kW or more, then it's simply a matter of finding a fast DC charger. Many of the new Electrify America rapid chargers charge at 350 kW or more.

DewTheDew · 01-05-2022, 03:19 PM

Note that GM has a relatively long history with putting batteries in a chassis. I actually worked on the forming process for some of the early trays for batteries (pre-cursor to the Volt) :-) They've been thinking about these issues for quite a while and they know their customer base. Face it, most of us here are not the heart of the EV truck customer base.

DewTheDew · 01-05-2022, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pappy3393

I wonder what the estimated mileage will be when towing a heavy AS. Payload of 1300 is a non starter for me.

Though it is plenty for the large group that has a 25' or smaller AS.

nitzo · 01-05-2022, 03:31 PM

I like it.

jeffb831 · 01-05-2022, 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DewTheDew

Though it is plenty for the large group that has a 25' or smaller AS.

25' trailers have the same published tongue weights as larger models - over 850#. 23' or smaller would be OK with published tongue weights of ~500#

n2916s · 01-05-2022, 05:44 PM

Already sold out the initial production. That is impressive.

**richard5933** · 01-05-2022, 06:01 PM

There's going to be a steady drip of announcements like this over the coming months and years, but I don't see them becoming a real option for travel trailers or cross-country travel until the charging stations are built out across the country, including in rural areas.

We just did a drive from Wisconsin to New Mexico and back over the Christmas and New Years holidays. We took some back road routes and there were places where was difficult to find gas when we needed it - can't imagine what it would be like to take that trip with an EV towing a trailer with a fairly short range.

jcl · 01-05-2022, 06:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by richard5933

We just did a drive from Wisconsin to New Mexico and back over the Christmas and New Years holidays. We took some back road routes and there were places where was difficult to find gas when we needed it - can't imagine what it would be like to take that trip with an EV towing a trailer with a fairly short range.

We did a trip from Vancouver to Calgary (via US2 eastbound through Washington State due to BC road closures) and then back through BC, from mid December to Jan 2. Just over 2700 km. While we were not towing, we were driving in temperatures down to -38C (actual; -45 windchill) and did much of our return at -28C. Snowstorms in both directions. At those ambient temperatures, we had up to 50% range impact, so very similar to towing a heavy trailer in normal ambients. It gave us some good real world data on range issues. Our vehicle has a 500 km/300 mile range in optimum conditions.

We did fine. Three days of 750 km. Superchargers worked well. YMMV.

**richard5933** · 01-05-2022, 07:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jcl

We did a trip from Vancouver to Calgary (via US2 eastbound through Washington State due to BC road closures) and then back through BC, from mid December to Jan 2. Just over 2700 km. While we were not towing, we were driving in temperatures down to -38C (actual; -45 windchill) and did much of our return at -28C. Snowstorms in both directions. At those ambient temperatures, we had up to 50% range impact, so very similar to towing a heavy trailer in normal ambients. It gave us some good real world data on range issues. Our vehicle has a 500 km/300 mile range in optimum conditions.

We did fine. Three days of 750 km. Superchargers worked well. YMMV.

If I'm correct, the Pacific NW is a corridor which is on the leading edge of the EV issue.

Try doing that through the middle of the US or down into some areas of western Oklahoma, Kansas, or northeastern New Mexico. At one point in our trip into New Mexico we went to look at some property - it was a 45 minute drive just to get back to a paved road.

Not saying that it's not possible, just that it might involve some pretty nerve-racking moments watching the needle move towards empty (metaphorically speaking).

Things are getting better, but from what I'm seeing it's going to involve some intricate pre-planning of charging stops for a while yet. Hopefully we'll start seeing more and more supercharging stations, but to be honest some of the gas stations we stopped in looked like they had trouble getting enough power just to pump gas. Not sure they're quite ready to connect a supercharger yet.

jcl · 01-05-2022, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by richard5933

If I'm correct, the Pacific NW is a corridor which is on the leading edge of the EV issue.

Try doing that through the middle of the US or down into some areas of western Oklahoma, Kansas, or northeastern New Mexico. At one point in our trip into New Mexico we went to look at some property - it was a 45 minute drive just to get back to a paved road.

Not saying that it's not possible, just that it might involve some pretty nerve-racking moments watching the needle move towards empty (metaphorically speaking).

Things are getting better, but from what I'm seeing it's going to involve some intricate pre-planning of charging stops for a while yet. Hopefully we'll start seeing more and more supercharging stations, but to be honest some of the gas stations we stopped in looked like they had trouble getting enough power just to pump gas. Not sure they're quite ready to connect a supercharger yet.

Metro Vancouver is certainly an EV hotspot. We left that 45 minutes into our trip. Calgary is oil country, pretty much the opposite. In between is rural. And many mountain ranges, including the continental divide.

We didn’t do any intricate trip planning, but the vehicle did. It knew our routes and destinations, it recommended charging stops, it tracked consumption, and it adapted as necessary. It told us if upcoming chargers were functioning or not, and how many were in use at any moment.

I agree that there are remote spots where EV use will be a challenge until the base infrastructure is improved. But there are a lot of places where it is straightforward now, and the accessible places are increasing rapidly.

Daquenzer · 01-05-2022, 07:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by richard5933

If I'm correct, the Pacific NW is a corridor which is on the leading edge of the EV issue.

Try doing that through the middle of the US or down into some areas of western Oklahoma, Kansas, or northeastern New Mexico. At one point in our trip into New Mexico we went to look at some property - it was a 45 minute drive just to get back to a paved road.

Not saying that it's not possible, just that it might involve some pretty nerve-racking moments watching the needle move towards empty (metaphorically speaking).

Things are getting better, but from what I'm seeing it's going to involve some intricate pre-planning of charging stops for a while yet. Hopefully we'll start seeing more and more supercharging stations, but to be honest some of the gas stations we stopped in looked like they had trouble getting enough power just to pump gas. Not sure they're quite ready to connect a supercharger yet.

How about Western South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska….. I had to be careful when I was towing through South Dakota and I have a 36 gallon tank!!

As I said and the CEO of Ford said before EV’s will not catch on in rural areas. Not enough range. Not enough charging stations. Charging takes too long. You get caught in a blizzard like I have been with an EV you are toast. And how the heck do you “fill gas” if you run out to get to the next station? Can’t just grab a 5 gallon can.

DewTheDew · 01-06-2022, 06:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Daquenzer

How about Western South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska….. I had to be careful when I was towing through South Dakota and I have a 36 gallon tank!!

As I said and the CEO of Ford said before EV’s will not catch on in rural areas. Not enough range. Not enough charging stations. Charging takes too long. You get caught in a blizzard like I have been with an EV you are toast. And how the heck do you “fill gas” if you run out to get to the next station? Can’t just grab a 5 gallon can.

As I noted in the EV towing thread, EVs work quite well stuck in traffic in the heat or cold. I also looked this up; AAA is deploying more and more EV chargers to get you up the road a ways. I am sure this will become the norm for tow companies as well. But yes, I expect North Dakota will be one of the last areas to adopt EVs.