New record of autonomy for electric

Chevrolet has just entered history by running 1,059.2 miles (1,704 km) with a single charge of the Silverado EV battery. The feat, the previous 749 mile recorded record (1,205 km), which had recently been established by the Lucid Air electrical sedan, and places GM’s electric pickup as a new world record holder among the electric cars in autonomy, the earlier.

The test, however, was anything but conventional. Held for seven days by 40 GM engineers on public roads near the Milford Michigan Test Field and also in the Belle Isle region, the route was made at a constant speed of only 20 to 25 km/h, under mild climate, and with various adjustments designed to reduce energy consumption to the maximum.

The version used in the test was Chevrolet Silverado EV Work Truck 2025, the most basicona in the line. Aimed at heavy work, it delivers estimated autonomy of 792 km according to EPA, without resorting to technological tricks. The secret is on the 205 kWh colossal battery, the same used in much more expensive and sophisticated GM models, such as Hummer EV and Cadillac Scale IQ.

But unlike these luxury brothers, Work Truck dispenses pampering such as huge screens, refined finish and flashy wheels. This simplicity helps to reduce weight and increase efficiency, allowing it to go even further than Sierra EV Denali, which carries much more than just luggage.

Although the vehicle’s hardware and software have been kept out of factory, a series of simple modifications helped extreme range:

• Positioning of lowered cleans to decrease the aerodynamic drag
• Tires with maximum pressure allowed to reduce bearing resistance
• Spare tire removal to decrease the total weight
• Optimized wheels alignment
• Installation of rigid hood to improve air fluidity
• Climatization system turned off throughout the test

According to EPA, the official autonomy of Silverado EV WT is 493 miles (about 793 km). This means that the team managed to run more than double the approved autonomy, reaching 214% of the expected.

Although driving has been extreme, the result serves as a showcase of what GM engineering can extract from a production car. And more than that: it shows that, with the advancement of technology, running over 1,000 km with an electric can soon cease to be just a laboratory feat.