The rental car game these days is besieged with worn-out whips. Back in the olden days, renting from Hertz, National or Enterprise meant the vehicles almost always had less than 30,000 miles on the clock. These days, due to the same supply issues that made buying a new car for regular people difficult, that’s not the case. So, when I arrived at the Hertz location at the Atlanta airport, I was expecting to pick up a used-up, 800,000-mile Tesla Model 3 with a sticky steering wheel, messed up alignment, trim pieces falling off, and mismatched poverty spec tires.
But oddly, I saw a brand new 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV 3WT proudly presented like it was a Porsche or a Maserati or Shelby GT-H Mustang parked right in front of the rental office. I wasn’t looking to add onto the tab for my already expensive Tesla Model 3 rental ($72 per day, plus tax) so I ignored it and started perusing the gold isle, looking for the freshest Model 3 I could find, or at least a Dual Motor (if it was going to be a hooptie, at least it would be a quick one).
After checking the mileage and build dates on the Model 3 selection, I decided one of those nice Kia EV6s might fill the bill. When I went to get into the freshest one I could find, a nice lady told me that car needed to be charged…along with a whole row of the other Kia EV6s, Ford Mustang Mach-e GTs, Model 3s, Model Ys and Chevrolet Bolts sitting there. Finally, I found an EV6 that was at 98% State-of-Charge.
I had a business call that required concentration, so I connected my phone and spent nearly an hour on the phone sitting in the EV6 in the garage. Just after ending the call, my phone rang and it was Hertz, wondering if I had left the premises. They were tracking the fact that I hadn’t checked out. Maybe they thought I drove off the side of the parking garage because I got so frustrated looking for a new ride that didn’t have a rotten piece of pizza on the passenger seat (true story).
So, I decided to ask the nice lady what it would cost me to drive away in that fine-looking refrigerator white Silverado EV they had in the front. Her response was “$100 extra per day.”
At this point, I was frustrated enough with the dirty, stinky Kia so I figured maybe I could haggle it down a bit. After a short conversation with her supervisor, she agreed to cut the tariff down to $75 a day. I asked her, “Do you know that’s a work truck with vinyl seats and rubber floors?” She looked at me confused and was like “That truck is quick…” We’ll see, I thought. So off I went from Hertz, in a minty fresh 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV 3WT, with only 46 miles on the clock.
[Ed note: Nick Twork is a longtime friend going back to the old site, when he was a spy photographer and journalist. He somehow flipped that job into a longtime career as a hack for Porsche, Cadillac, and most recently Our Next Energy. When I saw that he got a Silverado EV, and knowing he was a Rivian R1T owner and former Lightning owner, I asked him to write up the rental for us – MH]
What It’s Like Parked
The first thing I noticed about the Silverado EV was that it looked like a modern interpretation of the Chevy Avalanche from circa 2000. (I went on the new model introduction media program for that back when I was a college student and was writing for The Car Connection).
Hertz seemed to have added a janky low-rent tonneau cover on the bed – which I re-latched before leaving. Upon opening the tailgate, I saw a regular pickup bed with no liner. It was made from metal and looked just like a real pickup. No fancy spray-in or composite bedliner. Definitely capable of hauling manure, up to 1,700 lbs. of it, in fact. It also appeared to be fairly deep.
All I had was one suitcase, so I threw that in the cavernous back seat area onto the rubber floor, hopped into the driver’s seat, and prepared to ride this truck. Once inside, I was presented with two nice-looking screens, one in front of the steering wheel and one in the center of the instrument panel. I plugged in my USB-C cable to my iPhone and soon Apple CarPlay was working. The audio system seemed surprisingly good for a Work Truck trim level.
Overall, the interior was nice (I didn’t take a wide shot, so that’s the Chevy press photo above). The vinyl on the seats won’t be fooling anyone into thinking it’s leather but it was soft and nicely textured. While comprised entirely of hard plastics, the interior fit together well and was nicely designed.
The center console was a large, cavernous affair, with an uncovered well with USB-C ports located at the bottom and front. Two cupholders and a weird little tray that swallowed my iPhone at one point rounded out the front part of the console. At the back was a nicely padded and wrapped armrest. Lift that armrest up and you find another large, cavernous space. It would be nicer if they had one of those nifty flip-and-fold desks like in the Ford F-150 Lightning I briefly owned.
My daily driver is a quad-motor Rivian R1T, so I was delighted to find manually operated HVAC vents on the IP. A fully automatic climate control system was easy to adjust, using traditional knobs and buttons. It all worked pretty well. On the hard urethane steering wheel, I was surprised to find buttons on both the front and the back of the steering wheel, a la modern Dodge, Jeep, and Ram products.
The left button on the back of the steering wheel changed the music track and the right button adjusted the volume. On the front, there were buttons for the adaptive cruise control on the left and buttons to change the screen view behind the steering wheel on the right. Despite fully manual seat controls on the Silverado EV WT, the steering wheel has four-way power adjustment.
What It’s Like To Drive
I found the drive selector on the right side of the steering column, just like in a Rivian or many modern vehicles. I tried pulling it down to engage drive and it made a weird crunching sound and didn’t engage. After studying the iconography on the selector, I learned I needed to pull it forward before pulling it down. (I used to work at GM and I know GM Legal carries a lot of sway there). There is not an on/off button in the Silverado EV. You just get in with the key fob and put it in drive. Personally, this feels like the way God intended it, after driving mostly Teslas and Rivians these past few years. It might be weird to you if this is your first EV, but trust me, it makes much more sense after you get used to it.In the mode it was in, there was a bit of creep after letting off the brake. After almost exclusively driving EVs for the last four years, I hate that. Later that day, I managed to find the setting to engage max regen and 1-pedal driving. There’s an icon on the center screen at the top where this setting can be easily changed.
At low speeds, the vehicle felt big, like any full-size pickup, but it wasn’t particularly ponderous or hard to park. It was drum-tight, quiet, and had exactly the kind of plush low-speed ride you would enjoy when piloting a body-on-frame ICE-powered Silverado.
I started my journey with 67% state-of-charge indicated, so I figured maybe my next stop should be a DC fast charger since I expected to do quite a bit of driving in the next day. I pulled into the Electrify America station in East Point (brings to mind a few Outkast songs) a few miles down the road from ATL and found a lot of security cameras, a security guard driving around the lot and a lot of open DC fast chargers. Perhaps there was a reason no one was charging here…
I opened the charge port, a big, huge flappy plastic door on the driver’s side rear of the bed and after fiddling with the annoying rubber plug that I needed to remove to expose the CCS1 port, I plugged into the Electrify America charger and tapped my phone to activate the charger. Amazingly, the EA charger worked.
This gave me a few minutes to walk around and futz with the truck. I opened the frunk. Click the key fob button twice and it pops open. But not all the way; just a crack and then it must be opened the rest of the way manually. I took this opportunity to pull the giant plastic bag I found in the rear seat area, full of charging cables and other crap and open it up and neatly stow it in the front trunk compartment. The truck comes with an Ultium branded charger with 120V and 240V (NEMA 14-50) cables with a J1772 connector. There was also a massive steel tow hook and some plastic panel doodads that I threw in the Ultium branded bag together with the charger. At least they wouldn’t be rattling around. I also placed my suitcase into the frunk area. It’s pretty big but lined in hard plastic so I imagined things would be sliding around a bit.
Walking around the outside of the truck, I found black-painted aluminum wheels with a quasi-sporty design, sitting on proper 18” Bridgestone Alenza A/S rubber donuts (LT265/70R18, Load Range E). When it was introduced back in January of 2022, the Silverado EV WT was shown in photos with molded in color grey bumper fascias and steel wheels. At some point, they decided to paint the fascias and add aluminum wheels. Maybe that was around the time when they raised the price from $40,000 to $77,905?
In any case, for a Work Truck, it looked pretty nice. It has painted door handles and lock buttons on the door handles in the front handles only. A review of the order guide suggests that you need to be into refrigerator white if you want one of these. If you want to wait a few more months, you can have it in black. But that’s it. No other color choices or options. Just two different batteries. A big one and a small one.
This one (the 3WT) has the smaller of the two batteries GM is offering. The EPA label claims 393 miles of range for the small one and 450 miles for the bigger one (4WT). The larger pack, according to data GM submitted to the US EPA, has 215 kWh of usable capacity, rated at C/3. In the EPA certification test, it took 244 kWh of energy to recharge the battery after a full test so it’s safe to assume the larger pack here is similar to the Hummer EV pack, which is said to have 246 kWh.
I couldn’t find the capacity of the smaller pack anywhere, but if we back-calculate from its 393 rated range, given that the EPA label says it consumes 51 kWh/100 miles, it should be somewhere around 200 kWh usable, theoretically.
Unless you’re towing, the 3WT will probably offer plenty of range. And *should* weigh less.
These Ultium battery packs consist of nickel and cobalt-based lithium-ion pouch cells, stacked together in modules that are tied together in the battery pack. The cells are assembled in Lordstown, Ohio by Ultium Cells, a joint venture between GM and Korea-based LG Energy Solutions. The Ultium battery pack is noteworthy in that it includes a wireless battery management system. I can imagine there is a theoretical weight advantage to this but not sure what else it’s good for.
Power comes from two electric motors, which combine to offer 510 hp and 615 lb-ft of torque. For you electric vehicle nerds (like me) – the front motor and rear motor both produce 191 kW of power and 404 Nm or torque.
It felt quick and was easily capable of keeping up with traffic but lacked the same punch in the gut feeling of acceleration offered by the Rivian R1T quad motor. For almost everyone, they’ll be pleasantly surprised by the acceleration.
Like every modern EV, there is fake low-speed noise piping from an exterior speaker, so you don’t sneak up on pedestrians. It seemed relatively unintrusive. There did seem to also be some fake noise piped into the cabin on acceleration. I am personally not a fan of such tomfoolery but maybe you’ll like this.
Overall, the driving experience is polished and refined. In addition to the plush low-speed ride I mentioned earlier, I found myself enjoying throwing this giant pickup into corners. With a ton of sidewall, road-hugging weight, and a low center of gravity, it was actually fun to drive it deep into a cloverleaf and feed in throttle through the corner.
The folks at Generous Motors who did the chassis tuning did a fine job here…the steering is nicely weighted with linear torque build up and the overall balance of ride and handling is better than expected. It’s far more composed than the body-on-frame F-150 Lightning, which feels like a truck tuned the same way Granddad used to do it. The R1T with its sophisticated four-wheel air suspension and hydraulic stabilizers, is very capable in its own right and seems to defy physics but is soured by an annoying and rattly low-speed ride.
The Silverado EV is proudly assembled in Hamsandwich er, Hamtramck, Michigan at GM’s Factory Zero plant by UAW Local 22.
The Silverado EV 3WT, as tested by the U.S. EPA, weighs 8,594 lbs. GM has said it charges $77,905 for the 4WT, and $79,800 with destination. The 3WT is priced at $72,905 and $74,800 with destination.
Would I Rent It Again?
Yes! The 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV 3WT is a damn fine vehicle. However, you can’t buy it unless you and your fleet are in the good graces of GM. Or you are Hertz.
But don’t worry, the 2024 Silverado EV RST is on the way with air suspension, leather seats, 24” wheels, more power, and all the other luxury trappings the truck market demands – along with the requisite $105,000 price tag.
It’s very cool that GM made a Work Truck version of the Silverado EV. It’s nice to see honest truck features, like vinyl seats and rubber floors. I kind of wish it had crank windows and steel wheels, though.
Ok people, I can’t believe I have to write a comment like this. Transphobia of any kind is not acceptable on this site. We love for everyone to express their thoughts on a variety of subjects, but there is a line. If you want to call someone like me a man, there are sites for that, and none of them are this site. I mean, a trans person works for this site!
If you cannot help yourself, your comment(s) will be deleted. You have been warned.
Is there a reason not to remove that account? He was like that at the old site, too.
I agree with Elvis. Delete the jackass already.
I’ll also cosign that. He didn’t just say it, he doubled down when called out. It’s awful regardless of whether there are any known trans folks here and it is made even worse by the fact that Mercedes is not only a staffer, but a staffer who goes through the comments regularly.
He regularly engages in trolling behavior, and this is the sort of thing that is likely to get worse because of the troll tendency to escalate.
Boy, I’m glad I missed whatever this is referencing, and that it was deleted. I agree with others, if it’s a pattern, delete the person.
Sorry you have to deal with that Mercedes. Trans people deserve everyone’s love and respect. *heart emoji*
Car safety folk whine about how unsafe our roadways are for car drivers with the large number of heavy trucks and SUVs out there. Filling the roads with heavier EV trucks and SUVs won’t make our lives any safer.
not that I care per se, but as one that appreciates lightness, these aren’t the vehicles I would choose to drive
If I needed a truck, I would not pay this.
$20,000 of EV parts and a used high-mileage manual ’00s era Ford Ranger in good shape could make for a work truck with a 200 mile EV range that would be cheap to operate and last a VERY long time.
That’s the plan when the engine goes in my little Nissan. Even now I could retrofit with LEAF batteries, but the longer I wait the better the batteries will be. Also hoping light-truck grade e-axles start to become common on the market so I could just swap out the rear end and stow batteries between the frame rails.
The batteries we have today are miraculous compared to what was “good enough” to deliver 150+ mils range in the 1990s. The fact that automakers are struggling to keep costs down and range up when today’s batteries are 4x as energy dense is an indictment on design-by-committee and lack of vision more than anything. Massive $100,000 pickup trucks with 200+ kWh batteries are just the wrong way to go about EVs.
The $11,500 BYD Seagull which should get like 150-miles real-world range on U.S. highways(rated for about 250 miles range according to China), which we can’t buy here, is a massive contrast by showing the correct application, and price point, for the tech.
We’ll see on e axles, Edison Motors is the only company that seems to be interested in actually manufacturing e axles for anything smaller than a semi truck. They’re still one ton axles unsuitable for anything smaller than a fullsize pickup though.
Can you shoehorn that into an El-Camino or something more aero efficient than a Ranger?
I’m thinking you could start a small production run on these. I’d take one. I’ll even help you build it (probably more like hinder but it’s the thought that counts).
The El Camino is actually less aero/mass efficient than a Ranger. Further, the Ranger’s drag can be cut by about 15% with a simple partial grille-block and underbody paneling, without changing its looks or function. Do this, and you’ve got a vehicle that will only need around 300-350 Wh/mile on the highway.
With side skirts, front air dam, and a tapered bed cover, that CdA could be cut significantly more. You can look up Phil Knox’s Toyota T100 to get an idea of what that would look like:
https://ecomodder.com/forum/showthread.php/phil-knox-fleet-34-years-aeromodding-1280.html
I’m a fan of the idea of retractable aero covers for truck beds. When you aren’t using the bed to haul stuff, or can haul stuff that fits inside with the cover down, you get car-like efficiency. When you need to use the bed and have it open, the efficiency drops accordingly. If it’s retractable, you don’t need to constantly remove or reinstall the bed cover when you switch between needing the truck for truck stuff or simple commuting/errands.
I think the guy with the youtube channel https://www.youtube.com/@JerryRigEverything has a EV hummer with a rear top like that.
I’m a fan of the Hyundai Ioniq 6 as it look like it’s aero efficient (relatively)
The Ioniq 6 has a Cd value of 0.21-0.22 depending on options. Slightly better than a Tesla Model 3, at 0.23, but not as good as a Model S at 0.20.
What I really want to see is an inexpensive production sedan or V8 sports car with a Cd value in the mid to low 0.1X range. I know it’s possible and there’s a long list of concept cars displayed and wind tunnel tested over the last 60 years to prove it. Imagine a naturally-aspirated non-hybrid V8-powered sports car or musclecar competing with the 4-cylinder hybrid Prius on highway fuel economy.
But that will help kick the century-old paradigm of planned obsolescence to the curb, and the auto industry just can’t have that…
The Aptera is something I look forward to. Cd value of 0.13. It only needs about 100 Wh/mile to hold 75 mph on the highway. Imagine a 4-wheeled, 5-seater sedan of similar efficiency, and how small of a battery pack you could get away with to keep the range acceptable and cost affordable, with the vehicle light and joyful to throw through the twisties.
Even lower drag than the Aptera is possible though. I have a Milan SL velomobile with a Cd value of 0.08, and it can exceed 60 mph on less than 1 horsepower. But that is at the very extreme end of what is possible in a practical ground vehicle.
Alas the Model S is well beyond my price bracket…
If we have the technology to make cars 50% more energy efficient it feels almost like a crime not produce a vehicle like that and give consumers the option to but it at least.
I thought Aptera had gone to the wall? have they come back from the dead?
The Milan XL is cool but definitely on the extreme end of things.
I’m sure it could / would scale up though
We’ve had that technology for nearly a century. Even in a fuel crisis, all the industry will give us instead is malaise. That’s how the Japanese were able to offer slightly better products in the late 1970s and take a large fraction of the Big 3’s marketshare during the subsequent decade.
This disparity between what is possible and what we’re allowed to choose from is also why the entrenched industries are scared of the offerings from China, and don’t want us to be able to buy them. An $11,400 BYD Seagull is rated to have 250 miles range on the Chinse driving cycle, which probably would translate to about 150 miles range on a U.S. interstate highway. This thing’s aero also isn’t all that great, but with drag reduction, the possibility of a real-world 250 mile range at a similar price point remains, and it’s only a matter of time before someone does it. That is the price point and range that would make Americans take notice, in an era where the average used ICE car is roughly $30k.
The price and weight are insane. The curb weight is almost the GVWR of a 3/4 ton (typically 8600lbs loaded) and the price! Inflation has substantially increased the cost of things but $70,000 for vinyl seats? The U-Haul Silverado we git a few years ago was OK , but my 22 year old F150 is nicer and I pay about $100/month for registration, insurance and gas.
A) That picture of Nick looks like me…when I stand next to my Ford Maverick.
B) That tonneau cover looks like a Truxedo TruXport or its Gator equivalent. It’s ok. Mostly waterproof when properly aligned. However, the vinyl material is starting to ripple since it’s on a truck that’s been parked outside for a year.
C) The miles per kWh is rough. The Energy Department says it gets 100 miles/53 kwh hours. Chevrolet says the 3WT has a 393-mile range. That comes out to 208.29 usable kWh. Per Energy Sage, Michigan’s kwh cost is $00.19 (there’s a lot of numbers coming at you, just stay with me). AAA says the average gallon of gas costs $3.56. So $3.56 worth of electricity will get you 35 miles. Which isn’t awful, but less efficient than almost any other EV I have done this calculation for, including the F-150 Lightning and the Dodge Charger Daytona.
I’m a big Gator fan.Coming up on 6 years on my current ride. No leaks, no rips , no fade .
GM isn’t doing what they need to in order to get me out of my 2013 Avalanche.
I picked it up for $8600 in 2022, and unless Chevrolet can figure out how to make it worthwhile to turn it in for a new truck, I plan to keep maintaining my Avy until the heat death of the hooniverse.
It’s not great on fuel economy, but it’s a lot cheaper than spending six figures on a new truck. The interior is pretty much identical to the Cadillac Escalade, that is to say that it’s a very comfortable place to spend the whole day if you have to. The midgate is possibly the best feature ever designed for any vehicle. I’ve hauled everything from warehouse racks to sofas to picnic tables in the bed with the midgate down. By putting the gate down but leaving the glass and tonneau in place, it’s been a great overnighter with an air mattress in the back. I’ve even used it as a camper with a tent attachment, because the midgate gives you access to the cabin while you sleep in the truck bed under the tent.
I think it’s damn good-looking, too.
The Avalanche sold for about $40k in 2013. All they’d have to do is make a Silverado EV with a midgate for $55k to match that today. Leave out any gimmicks and just make that, Chevy. Please.
Hey its cheaper than a good New York Strip at the meat market. Only $12.21 per pound.
It is too bad they are so expensive. If I were to buy a truck, I’d love a Avalanche-like set up. Hell I look at used Avalanches from time to time but they are either rusted to hell or still asking $15-20k for having 130k miles on it with a torn drivers seat. Unfortunately the rest of the used truck market is like that too.
Great review! I spend a lot of time in rental cars, and I think it’s a fantastic way to get to know a car when you are coming at it blind. Turns out most modern rental fleets are composed almost entirely of dogshit. This sounds actually quite a bit better than most options.
Gotta say I was almost tempted until 8,594 fucking pounds, and $74,800.
Ex-fucking-scue me? Work truck prices are 5 digits and start with ideally a 1, realistically a 2 in these benighted times, and maybe a 3 if you’re doing a little embezzlement. A 7 is completely, laughably absurd. You can buy Porshes for less, Boss-man probably paid less for his Benz.
And the weight, holy fucking hell. My parents giant Airstream Sprinter is a ridiculous beast of a van that is always getting into issues sinking into mud and sand, and yet somehow is actually lighter than this thing. Tank designers think a lot about ground pressure, because it really limits where you can go- GM probably still employs some tank designers, and really should have talked to them because this thing is going to get stuck at a lot of muddy job sites.
However, it’s only about $9.50 per pound.
Production of lighter-weight batteries can not come soon enough.
Around where I’m from, the average “work truck” is a loaded full-size ford/dodge/GMC truck with a 3 inch lift, 24″ polished black wheels, and a company graphic on the doors and rear window.
Most commonly seen tailgating on their commute to the office.
Honestly, equipping this landmonster with tracks probably wouldn’t hurt the mi/kWh any more than the proportions are currently hurting it.
I’ve had the same thought re: weight, seems to be a massive overlooked issue on EV trucks especially any with a pretense of off-roadability. Can say from direct experience that HD diesel trucks get bogged down in the soft stuff off road more easily than smaller lighter trucks-EVs have got to be even worse.
Fucking ugly.
I am convinced car companies are intentionally sabotaging their EVs with these disgusting fucking cars. How can people who go to school to create beautiful things sleep at night building things that look like this.
This will only sell to people trying to get money from government subsidies, there is not a single other reason to buy this truck. That price? You could have 3 other trucks making you money instead of 1 of these. They make NO sense for business’ unless they are part of a grift.
The price is mildly ridiculous but I think it looks reasonably clean and sharp in it’s lines. What is fueling your visceral reaction to it?
It is a few things.
1) Like Nick stated, it looks like a Avalanch which was a huge fail and ugly ugly. So why did they bring it back? I could maybe get over this but…
2) THAT FUCKING RADIO. Any car that has a pop up dash is disgusting to me. Why in the fuck do I want this thing popping into my line of sight? Why do I want it ruining my dash lines? WHY DID ANYONE WANT THIS
I am crazy about number 2. It ruins so many vehicles for me, and I know its a mental thing I have, but I cannot get over it. Any designer who suggests or includes this should be fired and blackballed from the industry, their bosses should be sent to jail for 5 years of hard labor. No music, no tv, just hard work filling potholes thinking about what they have done.
Besides that,
3) A work truck for this price, with this weight, just makes no sense. You’ve basically forced all your guys to have a commercial drivers license if they want to tow anything now. Its a huge fucking joke of a truck and never should have been made. It only was made so gm can say “hey us too, we are nice and green” to their investors and government regulators.
That kind of visceral reaction to that kind of screen setup is genuinely insane. That is where the screen belongs for ergonomic reasons – between mandated rear view cameras and a whole bunch of features no one’s willing to give up that would require more buttons on the dash than an Alfa 164, putting it lower is a bit of a safety issue. From there, you’ve either got the screen sticking up, or a massive hulking dash to enclose it (I prefer the more open, lower dash). I don’t agree with not liking it, but that’s at least a normal reaction, but that level of anger is absurd.
put it IN the dash, like people did for decades. Not up in my windshield. If they want to be safe, give me a discount version HUD in every car.
I will die on this hill, and willing admit its a mental block I have. It really, really, bothers me.
I would also like to see if people would be willing to get top trim cars, without any tracking, apps or other nannies that most crave. I know quite a few wouldn’t, but I’m curious as to the % of the population who would. Off the top of my head, I’d guess it’s somewhere around the same percentage of people who choose manual transmissions.
As a reminder, this is what the ICE Silverado’s interior looks like – I fail to see how that’s a better solution.
https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/2024-chevrolet-silverado-1500-high-country-103-642dbd7a1d00b.jpg?crop=1xw:0.9166666666666666xh;center,top&resize=980:*
I suffer from the same disorder. I can’t stand screens stuck to dashboards. Integrate the screen into the dash please!
GM produced the Avalanche from 2001-2013, so I don’t see it as a “huge fail.” I had a 2002 Avalanche for several years; it was the best truck I’ve owned. I met someone yesterday driving a 2002 Avalanche 2500 model, which she uses to pull a horse trailer, pick up feed, etc. She has had no major issues with her truck, which was bought new. Given how many Avy owners loved their truck, IMHO, it was one of GM’s better vehicles.
If I were in the market for an EV pickup, I’d consider the WT models, but not at that price point.
The original Avalanche was ugly, but it was by no means a “huge fail”. They sold a ton of them for over 10 years and still have many loyal owners.
I don’t think any designers want to design these kinds of things, but they probably put too much effort into pursuing that goal or were blinded by the dream to realize what the reality of what being an automotive designer is for 99% of them: working on shit like this. When professional designers would visit my school and talk about how their original design for things like the ovoid Taurus were ruined by all the grubby hands that go in afterwards, I quickly realized it was not a career I wanted to be miserable in and that was before CUVs became a thing, which is even worse than grandma sedans. Point is that the designers don’t really have nearly as much call on how these kinds of things ultimately turn out as people (dis)credit them for. In this instance, I can’t imagine they happily slapped on the “base model unpainted plastic of shame” package from the early ’90s. (OK, it’s a “work” vehicle and that makes it more resilient to light damage, but this is almost $80 f’n grand and that’s the best they can do! That’s grandma’s last ride Neon from the back of the dealer lot that they had only kept around to advertise low starting prices in the newspaper to get people in the door, but even that only had the bumpers and door handles unpainted, not fenders and a giant expanse of fake grille, too.)
That is a good perspective, I appreciate that insight. I have pardoned the designer team. But not the bosses!
I’m flying into STL next week, but ultimately I have to drive to KY. My usual rental car provider, Avis, was showing some obscene rates, so I used Dollar, with whom I also have a discount rate. The cheapest option was “mystery EV”. I have no idea what the charging infrastructure is like along I64 in BFE Illinois, so I took a pass.
you saved your self from driving a leaf around all week and not having any charging.
Yeah, that’s not the part of Illinois that is EV friendly. Once you get out of Metro East the calendars actually run backwards.
Little Egypt has more in common with Mississippi than it does anywhere else in the Midwest. It truly is mind-bending that you can metaphorically go so far without literally going all that far.
Illinois is like how a muscle-car V8 likes to run the quarter- feet in the oven, head in the freezer.
8600 lbs and $80k what
I made a slight error in the review – the 4WT with the big battery is 8,594 lbs. The 3WT, according to the label on the door jamb of the Hertz rental, is 8,190 lbs. Still hefty, to be sure.
Oh that changes everything 😛
Thanks for the correction 🙂
If it’s electric, even if it’s all wheel drive/quad motor/two powered axles or whatever….
Why does the bed need to still be so damn high so the tail lights are comically anime-eyes oversized, the fender to wheel clearance you can stick your face in, and I (being a pokemon-sized manlet) would need to lift a load up to my shoulders to sling it in, or reach over and grab something to head height to get it out unless it’s right up against the tailgate already?
Wide fender to wheel clearance is necessary on any vehicle with good suspension travel. Which includes all vehicles with soft comfortable suspension.
I had to laugh when I read that the truck has an external speaker to broadcast noise to alert pedestrians when it’s operating in low speed environs.
Modern ICE engines are virtually silent in low speed operation and usually the first clue you have that one might be sneaking up on you is the tire noise.
As far as I know, no one is putting external speakers in ICE trucks (or cars) to alert pedestrians, even though ICE trucks probably constitute 99% of trucks out there.
What do you figure the probability of being hit by an ICE truck versus an EV truck is? Yet someone thought it necessary to stick a metaphorical cat bell on EVs even though their tires are just as noisy as the ICE trucks. Silliness.
It is weird. The noise is required for hybrids and EVs traveling below 18.6 mph and must be audible over background noise.
It’s been pointed out that a quiet ICE car will most often be quieter than a hybrid SUV at those speeds, but is not required to have similar audible warnings.
Yep, good old (not old) FMVSS 141 regs…
Yet if this vehicle was 10,001+ lbs GVWR… it wouldn’t have to make that noise. Not yet at least.
Only 9,990 lbs. GVWR!
10,001 lbs GVWR adds a few thousand in Federal Excise Tax, hence the sub 10k GVWR.
Our ’19 Bolts are almost dead silent at low speeds because of the EV tires and noisemaker fuse is pulled. Any ICE has belt noise and often more aggressive tire noise. My sister’s Cr-V hybrid sounds like angels in heat at low speeds from its pedestrian noisemaker. It intrudes into the cabin as loudly as outside. The beauty of EVs is the quiet, even in the cheapest ones.
Yup, and in an urban environment where the noise would be most helpful—where there are a lot of pedestrians and low speed traffic—there’s already a cacophony of other sounds to drown it out even when not factoring in all the people walking around with headphones on. I imagine this must have come about (as these things usually do) because people were being hit and surviving to report that they didn’t hear the vehicle that hit them, but I have a hard time believing that was really the major issue and that this is a good solution. The blind person I might see once every 3 years has a highly trained dog or a cane and knows to cross on an audible crosswalk signal. Is the problem really more that drivers are running crosswalk lights? If so, how would this help? I suspect most reported hits would be drivers doing something careless or selfish or dumb pedestrians with working eyes that step out stupidly from behind parked vehicles and/or while on their phones and with hearing that they’ve hobbled, anyway.
Maybe there’s a setting to make it constantly bellow “FEE FI FO FUM” at pedestrians?
Seriously right? This has gotten so ridiculous, hyundai/kia in particular have made their EVs obnoxiously loud when backing up-like far far louder than any ICE car-you can hear them from a block away. And even the Toyota hybrids are better but still louder than any gas powered car. Not sure why they wouldn’t just set it at a decibel level based on an average of production ICE cars.
It’s a nice truck, but I can’t get over the price and weight. This applies to pretty much every truck. I actually need a truck, but I don’t need a 2nd mortgage to pay for it.
what about this truck is nice. I am being serious. It’s the ugliest thing I have seen be produced in a long time.
The price issue on all trucks is all too real though I am with you there
I wish this was the ugliest thing produced in a long time, but unfortunately we have much worse.
I guess my definition of nice in a truck is different than yours. Trucks for me have always been work vehicles, whether at home or a job, and not something to use just driving around when a car’s available. It should feel solid, have torque, can carry weight, with a minimum of creature comforts to get through the work time in it. It can look like crap, I don’t care, because I’m inevitably going to scratch and beat it within an inch of it’s life. This truck has some of those qualities but not enough for me at that price and weight. Not knocking those who need more in a truck.
I can’t imagine GM will keep prices that high once production is ramped. With the way all of their Ultium products have jumped in price, I think it’s to lower demand as they work through their supply issues
I had a Mercedes rental a few weeks back that had 45k miles on it…felt more like 90k haha
$70K & a hard plastic steering wheel is hilarious.
When is this thing actually coming out for the retail market?
Thanks for the review!
Last rental I had when I went to Florida to visit family a few weeks ago was a 2019 Nissan Rogue Sport. 53k miles, every option except (weirdly) no sunroof. Respect to it for holding up, I don’t think Avis Budget Group would spring for a CVT rebuild.
Had a nasty habit of the automatic parking brake not releasing and the little button not doing anything. Otherwise, a complete tub of meh not helped by the most aggressive fake shifts I’ve experienced in a CVT (not that I’ve experienced more than a few).
Made me glad to get back home to my 45k-mile, all put on by me, manual 2020 Honda Fit.
It’s neat, but I don’t think it’s $25,000 neater than a F150 pro? No. And ford will sell a pro to a regular person.
Drop it ~$30k and the whole equation changes.
I kind of wish it had crank windows and steel wheels, though.
I kind of wish it wasn’t $105k.
$40k sounds about right
If only they would sell this battery in a large sedan or CUV that could get some seriously awesome range.
That battery is 4 times the size of the one in my Tesla. My efficiency is twice as good, but this makes Toyotas point about making a bunch of hybrids with all that battery power (plus, save weight)!
$75 grand for a work truck with vinyl seats!?! To hell with that!
Jesus
Christ
2,923 lb is just the battery.
$22,000 for the battery alone.
212.7 kWh at $100/kWh is the cost from LG
On another note Enterprise is still selling used vehicles for a lot of money. Why are they renting worn out used vehicles. Also all the EVs needing charged translates to EVs don’t work for rental car companies. Of I am new to an area I don’t want to seek a place to charge.
Swing and a miss. Don’t do this or I will nuke your comment. – MS
Sorry the staff usually doesn’t look like a physical bunch.
You don’t think DT’s wrenching and Moab off-roading counts? Or his hauling home of junkyard parts? Or his towing of his other vehicles? That’s a LOT more “physical” than most truck owners do.
How about Mercedes trailer towing and Gambler 500 runs, that’s not nothing either.
No I don’t. There is a difference between the occasional car project and a business who needs a dependable fleet. Let’s be honest no one at autopian loses a job if their car breaks down they just write a story. That’s their job. But every other car owner with a company truck requires a dependable truck or they lose money.
A physical bunch who make their living owning a business that needs a dependable fleet aren’t going to have time to write about it or long term reviews of the trucks they use. No reviewer is going to have firsthand reliability data of a brand new truck other than whatever crops up in the few days of the review regardless of how a physical a type they are. The most one can do is treat it like the rental it is for those few days doing truck things
A company won’t have the ability to recharge many trucks. EVs don’t work for real use
What makes you think that? Commercial and retail locations have access to a lot more power than residences. Chargers that are used by employees during the day can be used to charge trucks overnight. Same with rental trucks – trucks that are just sitting around waiting to haul home a load of lumber from Home Depot can be plugged in while they wait.
Because after the 40 years I worked they had 220 electric instead of 110.
220 is perfect for charging EVs. It allows you to charge at L2 speeds. A lot of them come with dual 110/220 charging cables, so you can charge with either.
Local EV work trucks are fantastic. The weaknesses they have are things like long range towing. Hauling equipment to a work site or a couple loads of material from nearby are great EV use cases.
That doesn’t mean you are damned to 220V forever. Hell you can even run your own diesel generator to charge your EVs just like Tesla did.
Gee, maybe you need to go tell NFI that the 50 BEV trucks they just bought aren’t gonna work for them. Or tell UPS that the 1000 electric trucks in their fleet won’t work “in real use.” Guess you researched it better than these multimillion dollar corporations did. Or maybe these highly successful companies are just environmental morons? SMH.
Transphobia isn’t allowed here. – MS
That’s an outright lie, and if it’s not actually hate speech, you’re treading right up to the line. Any remaining doubt I had that maybe you’re not a complete asshole has been erased.
Transphobia isn’t allowed here…x2 – MS
I’ll just let you hoist yourself ever higher on your own petard. You’re building my case for me.
Trans people are NOT pedophiles. – MS
Got it, you have no defense.
Oh I presented the defense on how an EV won’t work. But you had your head so far up your ass that your ears kept you from. Pulling out, something your dad is familiar with, but you don’t don’t have common sense so I tried the illiterate arguments.
You’re the last person here who should be commenting on illiteracy, given your marginally coherent comments.
Are you drunk already?
Oh yes drinking already. But still make a better argument than you sober. I enjoyed making fun of your little arguments that clearly you have no idea what is going on. You seem to ignore facts and just want to hope your opinions are accepted.
Is that how you see me? Am I just a 31-year-old dude who puts on a dress and solicits attention from car guys on the internet?
Trans women are women, sorry. – MS
I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I don’t pick and choose what trans people I respect as women.
If you “respect” me, there shouldn’t be any issue respecting other trans women. – MS
I don’t have to prove my gender. People take my word for it. You don’t have to prove yours, I assume. And people don’t assume I’m a predator without evidence, even though cisgender men are the group most likely to be predators.
Trans people are victims of violence a lot more often than they are predators, and rhetoric that claims or implies they are worsens that. Please consider what you are saying in the future.
Well, if he does not, he will be banned from these pages. We’ve been extremely patient, letting some things slide that probably shouldn’t have been.
It shouldn’t be a big ask to have some basic human decency. Don’t think I’m a woman? Fine, whatever, but do not advertise it on these pages. The next person who continues to ignore that will be deleted.
Basic human decency should not be a big ask and you shouldn’t have to put up with shit from people incapable of it. I’m glad you’re here and I’m sorry you have to put up with so much. Thank you for being an amazing woman and a great part of the Autopian.
You are 100% right as long as it isn’t in a competitive environment where prizes and money and scholarships are provided. I seem to remember a movie I think Black Like Me where a rich white guy put on black face to get admitted to Harvard because as a white guy he could not get in. But met a black girl who lost a scholarship to him was working in the cafeteria. I don’t think I have the answers but despite my truly poor posts I still don’t think people should be able to claim special exemptions without proof. My bad I am sorry for poor posting
I have had the privilege of running a fleet of 12 vehicles. There’s no way EVS would work. So we should stop forcing companies to fail because environmental morons have no idea how their food, drink, and everest gets to them. They are complete morons who think their moms or magical elves get what they need with no consequences to the environment. They ate completely morons and the environment would be better if they were dead.
Your use case is not everyone’s use case. Not everyone needs a truck to haul a trailer of concrete 500 miles a day every day.
True but also not everyone use case is delivering a plant
So buy a PHEV truck. Problem solved.
Dude I am a big hybrid fan. I believe it is the answer. Not a step to full EV THE ANSWER. But keep asking the questions and the MY MIND IS MADE UP CROWD may start thinking independently again
Even the California mandate had a carve out for PHEVs from day one.
Yea and it was payout to certain groups
Yes. To you.
I expect EV trucks will be equipped with range extenders to make sure they have enough range for towing and to act as powerful, fuel efficient and low emission worksite generators.
Yes
Indeed, a huge number of trucks are used for city delivery. Fixed routes, lots of stop-and-go traffic, huge amounts of idle time to cut out.
Everest doesn’t get to you. Usually you have to go there, at considerable cost.
Well yeah for you common people. LOL. Couldn’t find the comment you were replying to.
A d yeah expensive that’s why riche deutsch dying. I only feel for the guides. In fact if I had the money I would hire the very best guides, equip them with the very best equipment, wit for the best moment and say you guys set the record on your own without so e rich loser slowing you down and claiming the record. Does anyone think the rich asshole led the team? Or helped the team? The guides drag the asshole of and down the mountain trying to keep him alive. Let a team of the real experts set a record Noone canbeat.
“So we should stop forcing companies to fail because environmental morons have no idea how their food, drink, and everest gets to them.”
Was your earlier comment
Yes exactly
In this context I am trying to get the 99% of the people who know they are correct but many are not to consider the other arguments. Some times people are trolls to just start a fight sometimes they argue a side they don’t agree to just to get narrow minded people to consider an alternative argument to see a different viewpoint.
That is why society is so screwed up. Noone can even agree to consider an alternative viewpoint.
Don’t lie, you have no interest in alternative viewpoints
I live for alternative viewpoints. I post arguments I don’t agree with to get alternative viewpoints. Societies die when everyone is forced to agree.
“the environment would be better if [environmental morons] were dead.”
excardon me?
This is a weird, bad, arrogant take. I’m not sure what an “environmental moron” is, but it seems like it’s just a person that cares about the environment. And your assumption here is that … people who care about the environment are more ignorant about supply chains than people who don’t care about the environment? It’s almost like your lizard brain made this up to create a sense of superiority over people who have different values from you!
It is idiots that have no knowledge of real life. Don’t pollute and burn up hundreds of cars causing worse pollution while more cars get built to replace them. No coal use nuclear, no nuclear use gas, no gas invent something that physics dictates is impossible that gives free energy to everyone but doesn’t pollute. I miss posted that it was environmentalists and admitted my mistake it was the eco terrorists. But yes look at the postings of environmentalists. They may want a good thing but they are agaevery mother loving energy thing and have no answers. Can we all agree to ignore people with no solutions?
Let’s work to use cleaner energy as much as possible. But letting people freeze to death isn’t a solution. Or maybe it is for YOU.
I installed 2 chargers at work this year. It’s a nice perk for the 4 employees with EVs, it didn’t cost much, and I allow free public charging at night/weekends. I could add 4 more chargers for about $2500, but my parking is limited and I don’t want to commit that many spaces to EVs. EVs are perfect for businesses that park overnight and have predictable routes. They are not ideal for rental companies, long haul, or 24-7 operators. I hope all last-mile delivery, garbage trucks, and school busses become EVs!
So multiple Tesla fast chargers cost 4 for $2500? Of course not and slow chargers are a nice perk I bet you are a great boss. But EVs aren’t going to replace ice with 20 hour charging times.
So multiple Tesla fast chargers cost 4 for $2500?
Why would you think you need fast chargers at a workplace? Level 2 chargers are like $500-600/ea even for ones that can carry 80A, hence the quote for $2500 for four.
slow chargers are a nice perk I bet you are a great boss.
An even greater boss would make sure as many employees were able to WFH as much as possible so they don’t have to needlessly squander their time and money on gas and overpriced restaurant food.
But EVs aren’t going to replace ice with 20 hour charging times.
Level 2 chargers are plenty good enough to make sure a reasonably efficient EV has enough to get most folks home, maybe even enough to make it through the weekend and back again. Even Level 2 at *just* 16A for 8 hrs gives 95 miles and that’s plenty for most commuters
Because anything but fast changers don’t work. I set this up based on trickle charger doesn’t work. I am surprised idiots don’t get obvious
Millions of level 1 and 2 charger EV users say otherwise.
According to a TV show I’m watching you might have gas.
Um OK?
You should probably lay off the sauce for a while.
Yeah, work from home isn’t great for a school.
Lots of kids have been home schooled for decades. Seems to have worked fine for them.
True, including me. I don’t think we are going to return to nuclear families anytime soon, and it has been a very, very small percentage of the workforce who has homeschooled more than this generation.
IMO schooling from home can work just fine if folks are willing to make quality lectures, at least for topics that don’t require a physical presence (e.g. chem lab). God knows I’ve seen worse teaching than Great Courses.
Since I actually want my employees to be at work, level 2 charging is perfect. 7kWh fills them every day so they don’t need to charge at home.
Okay you have say 4 charging stations for the 4 employees that have evs. But a customer needs a charge so toss out which employees? But also all 100 employees you have follow the law and go EV. Now you only have 4 charging units and 100 employee ding charging and customers needing it as well now you need 110 charging units. But nothing you do or sell supports the charging stations you set up originally as a bonus now how do you feel?
“he was a spy photographer and journalist. He somehow flipped that job into a longtime career as a hack for Porsche, Cadillac, and most recently Our Next Energy”
What about that makes you think Nick’s an expert on work trucks in a way that the rest of the staff isn’t?
He’s an expert at shooting from the hip, running his mouth, and showing his entire ass.
(Mr. Shitastic)
Sorry having fun the writers here no I respect them. I was thinking I was doing a tough in cheek this is the sites Brawny Paper Towel guy. Because less nerdy looking.
My bad.
Great article, and welcome to The Autopian Nick!
Looks like a cool truck. I didn’t know these were released yet. If Hertz decides to fire sale these in a few years like their Tesla fleet, I might consider buying one.
Beavis voice, “EV Fire Sale, heh heh, heh.”