General Motors is claiming to have broken the EV range world record with its huge Chevrolet Silverado EV pickup, after eclipsing the Guinness-verified distance covered by the sleek Lucid Air just last month.
The Chevrolet Silverado EV achieved a driving range of just under 1705km (1059.2 miles) after being driven by GM’s engineering team, which claimed to have not made any modifications to the electric pickup.
Fed by a massive 205kWh battery, the Silverado EV has almost double the capacity of the official record-holding Lucid Air’s 112kWh pack, though this could’ve been offset by its circa-3900kg kerb weight.
While Chevrolet didn’t make any major changes to the electric pickup, it made “small setting adjustments”, including lowering the windscreen wipers as much as possible, inflating the tyres to the highest acceptable pressure (80psi), removed the spare wheel, added a tonneau cover, and optimised the wheel alignment.
The pickup’s drivers had to make their own adjustments too, as they were advised to maintain an average speed of 32-40km/h, have no passengers unless necessary, and turn off the climate control.
Chevrolet made the run in summer to allow the battery to operate at optimum efficiency, while the drive itself took place on public roads between GM’s Milford Proving Ground and Belle Isle, a distance of approximately 80km with mostly flat roads.
However, while Lucid’s official record took place in one hit, the Silverado EV was driven in one-hour shifts to fit around the GM engineers’ work schedules, across a seven-day period.
Though Chevrolet isn’t able to officially claim its ‘record’ as a true record, it goes to show how lab-test results can differ from the real world, as the Silverado EV Max Range Work Truck used only has an EPA-estimated driving range of 793km.
“Getting this kind of range on a full charge doesn’t happen by accident,” said Kurt Kelty, VP, battery, propulsion, and sustainability.
“It takes deep integration across battery chemistry, drive unit efficiency, software and vehicle engineering – and that’s exactly what the team delivered. This achievement is a great example of how far our EV technology has come, and the kind of innovation we’re building on every day at GM.”
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