GM Is Building An Electric Chevy Silverado With 400 Miles of Range (theverge.com) 112
General Motors confirmed it's making an all-electric version of the Chevy Silverado pickup truck with around 400 miles of range on a full charge. The Verge reports: The company did not immediately say when the electric Silverado will go on sale, but GM president Mark Reuss said at an event on Tuesday that the company will also make commercial fleet-focused versions of the truck. The electric Silverado will be made at "Factory Zero," the recently rebranded Detroit-Hamtramck plant dedicated to EVs and AVs that GM is currently retooling at a cost of more than $2 billion. It's the same plant where GM will build the all-electric Hummer SUV and Hummer pickup.
The Silverado EV will undoubtedly be a flagship vehicle of the custom electric vehicle platform GM announced last year, called Ultium. Designed to be modular, the Ultium platform is what will power most of GM's forthcoming electric vehicles. The company has promised the platform will be able to provide as much as 400 miles of range in the biggest configurations, and that the trucks built on Ultium will feature 800-volt architecture that allows for really fast charging.
The Silverado EV will undoubtedly be a flagship vehicle of the custom electric vehicle platform GM announced last year, called Ultium. Designed to be modular, the Ultium platform is what will power most of GM's forthcoming electric vehicles. The company has promised the platform will be able to provide as much as 400 miles of range in the biggest configurations, and that the trucks built on Ultium will feature 800-volt architecture that allows for really fast charging.
Which year? (Score:5, Insightful)
If they don't even have a prototype to show off, then they sure as hell aren't building it any time soon.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Re: (Score:1)
And Elon will throw a ball through it's bullet-proof window.
Re: (Score:2)
Ready or not!!
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Whenever I hear "Nikola" I picture an someone yodeling in the alps while selling cough drops.
Re: (Score:1)
The All 'Murican Truk ! (Score:3)
The Silverado inspired the Canyonero, forever immortalized by Krusty on The Simpsons: https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com] Impressive, but close behind is John Bronco with a Ford product: https://www.rottentomatoes.com... [rottentomatoes.com] Will a new electric Silverado still have the magic?
Re: (Score:1)
The Suburban is one of GM's oldest platforms. It's a real truck, not an SUV.
Re: The All 'Murican Truk ! (Score:1)
Mine will eventually get Eibach's lowering kit, if/when it becomes available.
Re: The All 'Murican Truk ! (Score:1)
I'd much rather have (Score:3)
a $15-20K electric car with 400-600 mile range.
And (of course I didn't read the article) How many miles you get towing a 5 wheel behind you in the Silverado?
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:2)
Waiting for the PU Truck PreConfigured Payload of 2,000 lb battery units that slip into the truck bed. Add 5 of them for an extra 1,000 mile range.
Re: (Score:2)
Waiting for the PU Truck PreConfigured Payload of 2,000 lb battery units that slip into the truck bed. Add 5 of them for an extra 1,000 mile range.
Keep waiting. Your average half ton truck has payload in the 1700-2200lbs range, depending on how the truck is configured.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
The top 3 best selling vehicles in the United States, though, are all pickups. They have a huge market here. They're also big platforms for lots of batteries, and a place where the towing capacity of electric motors can be showcased. They're a great choice, and an easy first thing for GM to attack.
And the more EVs are built and sold, total, the more the cost of their component parts will come down. Sell big trucks to America, and you drive down the cost of building an EV through new efficiencies and eco
Re: (Score:2)
Put a fifth wheel on that electric Silverado, and suddenly your 400 miles range will probably drop down to a 100 miles...
Re: (Score:1)
I mean, that's not different for an ICE truck though, is it? Put a fifth wheel on any truck, and you decrease its range. A Ford F-150 has a 650-mile range --- doesn't that also drop pretty precipitously when towing something heavy?
Though yes, 600 would be better than 400 for a working truck...
Re: I'd much rather have (Score:2)
Of course, but refueling that ICE truck to regain the range only takes 5 minutes.
So even if you only have half the range when towing, the impact on the trip time is minimal.
Will there be charging stations with enough space to pull up with a big electric pickup and a fifth wheel, or will you have to detach the trailer every time?
From what I've seen of Tesla super charging stations, a cybertruck won't be able to charge while it has a trailer hitches.
Re: (Score:1)
For what it's worth, I expect that as demand for such stations appears, stations will appear to fulfill the demand. I don't imagine the first gas stations had room for an F-250 with a fifth wheel, either.
Re:I'd much rather have (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: I'd much rather have (Score:3, Insightful)
rare occasions
Maybe where you live. And that range is almost certainly when it's empty, cut that down to half or less if you're hauling or towing.
Re: (Score:2)
I have a popup camper that I tow. It's the smallest one made by Jayco (8' bed) but it still weights about 1300 lbs. We also put two kayaks on top of the Torrent. How would all that affect mileage. I would be interested in some "real world" that reflects how people actually use their SUV's.
Re: (Score:2)
I have a popup camper that I tow. It's the smallest one made by Jayco (8' bed) but it still weights about 1300 lbs. We also put two kayaks on top of the Torrent. How would all that affect mileage. I would be interested in some "real world" that reflects how people actually use their SUV's.
Weight won't affect your range by too much, unless you're going uphill a lot (and not going back down, where you'd regenerate about 2/3 of what you spend going up). Wind resistance is the real killer, at least at highway speeds.
Re: (Score:2)
I found this video [youtube.com] a while back in which an attempt is made to deliver a teardrop-sized trailer with a Tesla Model X. It doesn't end well. They were stopping much more frequently to recharge, and ultimately figured out they wouldn't meet their deadline if they continued.
Re: (Score:2)
That's the point where you can just rent a car for the week unless you're hauling that camper around all year. I think a lot of people object to small economy cars or EV/hybrids based upon their worst case needs. "What if I need to travel from LA to Atlanta?!?"
So if someone is going to be needing that 600 mile range once a week, then get a gasoline powered truck. But there's a lot of trucks out there that are either used only for commuting or for short distance hauls around the ranch or to pick up suppl
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Why do you people think that people want to deal with a car rental agency for their vacation? To drive a vehicle they aren't comfortable in.
Why do you think people do not want to? I have rented a car many times on vacation. I have rented an RV for a long driving trip. A rental car that is newer than mine, where any repairs are not my problem, sounds like a vacation to me. EVs are coming, adapt.
Re: (Score:2)
To drive a vehicle they aren't comfortable in.
Why the fuck wouldn't they be comfortable in a rented vehicle?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I drive an older car and rent for vacations on purpose. It's cheaper, I get to try out new vehicles, and they are usually MORE comfortable than my daily driver.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
My 2002 Sierra (2WD, 4.8L V8) usually gets right at 20 mpg on the highway with no cargo/trailer. A couple of years ago I towed a 5,000 pound trailer about 1500 miles (including over the mountains in TN/GA), which took the overall mileage down to about 14 mpg. Just a data point.
Re: (Score:2)
600 miles of range is just absurd IMO. So, so much battery to purchase and drag around all the time, for the rare occasions when it would be needed.
500-600 miles is necessary for a truck. I don't think 400 miles is enough, at least not for a truck that gets used as a truck (granted that many don't).
I own a Tesla Model S, with ~400 miles of range. That range is perfectly adequate, as my wife and I recently proved to ourselves by taking a 3000-mile roadtrip from our home in Utah to the west coast, up and around the Olympic Peninsula and back down through the center of WA and OR before heading back home. With the Supercharger network, plus overnight cha
Re: (Score:3)
One could make the argument that hauling around a few tons of metal and a bathtub of fuel to transport a single person two miles across town is equally absurd.
Re: (Score:2)
a $15-20K electric car with 400-600 mile range.
Then this isn't for you, move along...
And (of course I didn't read the article) How many miles you get towing a 5 wheel behind you in the Silverado?
This most likely isn't for people who need a workhorse, it's for people like me who occasionally need a pickup to haul something and can't always wait two or three days to reserve one, and can't afford two vehicles.
Re:I'd much rather have (Score:5, Interesting)
How often do you drive 600 miles in a day? Is it worth it to carry around a 600 mile battery for something you do maybe once or twice a year, maybe less?
Say instead you have a 260 mile battery (the current chevy bolt, or the absolute bottom of the line tesla model 3).
If you can charge at home, then any day where you drive less than 260 miles, you don't have to think about fuel at all. For most people, that's most days. Which means the number of times you have to go to a place and do a thing to fuel your car is *far* less than with an ICE vehicle.
And for road trips --- 300 kW chargers are steadily being deployed across the country, and the cars that can draw that much power are coming (current Teslas are close). At 300 kW, you can fill that 260 mile (66 kWh) battery from 0 to 80% in about ten minutes. So, every ~3 hours of driving at highway speeds, you have to spend ten minutes at a pump. So, for the cost of having to spend 10 minutes every 3 hours of road trip (instead of 5 every 6 with a gas car), you get to never visit a public fueling station again *except* on long multi-battery-fillup voyages.
Re: (Score:1)
How often do you drive 600 miles in a day? Is it worth it to carry around a 600 mile battery for something you do maybe once or twice a year, maybe less?
Trucks tow stuff, which cuts their nominal range in half, or more. So if you need 300 miles of range while towing, you need a 600-mile battery.
And for road trips --- 300 kW chargers are steadily being deployed across the country, and the cars that can draw that much power are coming (current Teslas are close). At 300 kW, you can fill that 260 mile (66 kWh) battery from 0 to 80% in about ten minutes. So, every ~3 hours of driving at highway speeds, you have to spend ten minutes at a pump. So, for the cost of having to spend 10 minutes every 3 hours of road trip (instead of 5 every 6 with a gas car), you get to never visit a public fueling station again *except* on long multi-battery-fillup voyages.
Yep, I'm on my fourth BEV (two Nissan Leafs, two Model S's), and I've taken several long road trips in my Teslas. And with that experience plus plenty of experience towing stuff behind my gas/diesel SUVs and pickups, I'll tell you that I will not buy an electric truck with less than 500 miles of range.
Re: (Score:1)
> Trucks tow stuff
True, which is why EG the Cybertruck has a huge battery. But I was responding to a post asking for a passenger car with a 600 mile battery, not a truck.
Re: (Score:2)
So, for the cost of having to spend 10 minutes every 3 hours of road trip (instead of 5 every 6 with a gas car), you get to never visit a public fueling station again *except* on long multi-battery-fillup voyages.
Exactly. So many anti-EV people don't get the massive amount of time wasted at the gas pump, particularly if you have a long commute. I sometimes commute 450 miles a week - with many ICE vehicles, that would mean filling up once a week or more, and the most convenient time to do so is during the morning or evening drive, exactly when everybody else doing the same thing. So, that can mean lines, the stupidity of trying to battle for a spot at a pump in the tight quarters of a gas station, and so on.
Compare t
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
And people who have never lived somewhere cold don't understand what a pain in the ass it is to have to plug your car in every day.
What? It regularly gets extremely cold where I live - single digits often, and occasionally below zero. I (and a huge number of other Americans) have a charger in my garage, so cold weather has no impact either direction.
If you live in an apartment building, then sure, plugging in might be inconvenient because you can't just leave a charger set up at all times, and weather will have more of an impact. But that doesn't change the fact that for many, many people, charging an EV is far more convenient than fi
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
It's really not bad... I have a charger on the wall in front of my car. Pull in to the garage, plug it in. Reverse the procedure on the way out. And I never, ever have to wait at a gas pump (at least for fueling that vehicle).
I had a 1987 Dodge Raider way back when, which included an engine block heater. Never needed to use it. I did appreciate some of the other extreme-weather features of that vehicle, though, like the headlight washers.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Dacia have a new model out that hits that price bracket, but not that pointless range. Waste of money carting such a huge battery around anyway.
With offers you can get a Leaf 40 for around â30k. MG ZS EV is another decent option in that price bracket.
Re: (Score:2)
I have had friends get burnt hard with Leaf's. I will not trust a Nissan EV until they have a proven battery track records (lets say 5+ years with nominal loss of capacity).
Re: (Score:2)
There are plenty of 5 year old Leafs with minimal degradation. Still completely usable cars. The newer ones, the 40 and 60kWh models, seem to be holding up even better.
They are an old design now, interior badly needs a refresh and the battery needs switching to one with active thermal management. Not for longevity reasons, so that they can rapid charge faster and more often. The new Ariya is going to have that so I expect the Leaf will be discontinued in the next few years.
Re: (Score:2)
What is a "5 wheel"?
Just hot air (Score:2)
Happy to see more electric models, but... (Score:5, Interesting)
GM has a lot of history with compliance vehicles. So they may make a few electric trucks. Then they sell those few then they report they only sold only a few trucks and justify it as Americans not ready for electric, which often takes 4-8 years just in time for a change of administration where they are more apt to reverse such rules.
However I think it will be different, Tesla has been getting a lot of press and is making some high demand electric cars. So if other Automakers don't jump in Tesla will just keep taking market share.
Re: (Score:2)
So they may make a few electric trucks. Then they sell those few then they report they only sold only a few trucks and justify it as Americans not ready for electric, which often takes 4-8 years just in time for a change of administration where they are more apt to reverse such rules.
It takes about 10 years to get a completely new car platform into production. Maybe 8 if you reuse a whole bunch of existing stuff. So that compliance car timing gambit doesn't make a whole lot of sense.
Re: (Score:1)
Silverado is an established platform, though. This is an adaptation.
Re: (Score:2)
Except it's not on the Silverado platform, it's on their new EV platform. It's just got the Silverado name.
Re:Happy to see more electric models, but... (Score:5, Funny)
>It takes about 10 years to get a completely new car platform into production.
If you're GM
10 Years (Score:2)
Is pretty much the standard. It's not just the manufacturer, it's all the tier 1/2/3 suppliers who have to ramp up their production lines as well. Then everything has to get sync'd up for JIT manufacturing. This stuff takes time.
If you are talking about a new drivetrain, that's another two to three years JUST for QA, and that's if absolutely nothing goes wrong. They'll build an engineering sample with the new drivetrain by hand, drive it around the test track for 200,000 miles, and if anything goes wrong, t
Re: (Score:2)
Yet we have seen a certain popular EV manufacturer manage it in about 5 years, by pulling many processes in house.
Where I work, a new chip architecture takes about 4 years and the QA is crazy, as it needs to be for a multi-billion transistor device. 4 years leaves lots of time for good Q&A.
The outsourcing model of old school car makers in the US seems to be somewhat related to their slow progress on EVs.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
I do find it interesting how competitive the Electric Truck market is, where they are no actual electric trucks on the market.
Re: (Score:2)
Not really.
The two most popular segments in the US are the light truck (SUV) and light pickup truck market. Cars are just there for compliance reasons - about the only cars that approach the popularity of SUVs and light pickups would be sports cars.
Thus, an electric SUV and pickup make complete sense as that's the market that's in demand. Don't have to look anywhere else - doesn't ma
Re: (Score:2)
However I think it will be different,
Another reason is infrastructure. GM does not have to be a leader in all of this - would be nice if they were, but not necessary. Once there are enough electric "gas stations" and other user support for EV's, demand will increase. GM or any manufacturer will want to keep pace because consumers will be turning that way, whether GM had planned to go that way or not. Same for battery tech and supply chain.
They already make the chassis and platform and other components of the vehicle, and they have a market
Re: (Score:2)
The interesting thing, is Electric Cars need less infrastructure than ICE cars do.
Most of your charging is at home, so you leave your home every day with a full or near full charge.
Charging stations will be needed in areas such as cities, where there is a lot of street parking, or people living in apartments. Also locations along major highways where long distance travelers will normally take. and destination charges at grocery stores and shopping malls.
If we were nearly 100% electric automotive we wouldn'
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:1)
They're also dedicating this entire plant to EV production. It doesn't sound like a half measure.
Not to mention that they've spent the last decade refining their EV platform, and the Bolt is a fantastic car.
Re: (Score:2)
The EV Humvee though is a dumb idea though. The entire idea of a Humvee is to be a big giant "fuck you!" vehicle to who that you're no libral pussy and that you aren't scared of either gasoline prices or vehicle prices. And please stop signalling to pass because, yes, both those lanes belong to me. An EV "fuck you!" vehicle doesn't make a lot of sense.
GM? 400 miles is about right (Score:2, Funny)
A Detroit product, GM no less. Probably 400 miles before something breaks and needs replaced.
Re:GM? 400 miles is about right (Score:5, Interesting)
I've got a 2005 GMC Yukon with 300,000 miles on the clock that says you're full of shit. And I bought it used. Had it for 10 years and except for fluids, tires, and a window that got busted by a tree branch in a hurricane, it's been trouble-free.
Re: (Score:2)
You got a 2005 GMC Yukon which says you're lucky. Even the hard reliability figures for that car show that it has poor reliability even by the already poor USA SUV standards. Hell the current model is rated second worst of all American SUVs for reliability.
Hold on to that bad boy for dear life.
Re: (Score:3)
2003 to 2006 were the best years for the GMT800 platform (Suburban/Tahoe/Yukon/Pickups) reliability wise, in 2007 they went to variable displacement which caused excessive oil consumption and they added more doodads which caused reliability issues.
Its not uncommon to see GMT800 platform trucks with 200k-400k miles without any major issues.
My brother in law has one that they bought new that is over 300k miles with just normal maintenance (brakes, tires, fluids and possibly a water pump and/or an alternator).
Re: (Score:2)
My Chevy Colorado ZR2 has 250k miles on it. Tons of stuff has broken on it over it's 15 year life. That's just how owning a vehicle is, you maintain stuff that wears out. (And stuff you break from hard use.) Would I recommend it? No, it has a 5 cylinder engine and it needs to be maintained or it runs like crap. But it isn't so bad of transportation that I had to replace it.
Rather than perception of frequent breakdowns, I think a better comparison is that of safety. American trucks usually have poor safety r
Re: (Score:2)
Our last work van was a GM.
We had very little non scheduled maintenance over 350k miles.
Load/no load and speed? (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Actually I think it would be odd to specify it any other way.
Re: (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
I mean, at my old job I had a dodge D200 with a 24 gallon tank... got about 350-380 miles per tank unloaded. But that was rare because it only went about 150 pulling my tractor w/implements (12-13k lbs on a 2 axle braked trailer).
Re: (Score:3)
so 50 miles range while hauling a tractor from one site to another at 65mi per hr, def not buying that.
You can assume that 400 miles isn't absolute maximum range, but expected range at highway speed, or thereabouts, but unloaded.
So, probably 200 miles while hauling a tractor at 65 mph. I'm not buying that either. I think the Cybertruck's 500-mile range (unloaded) is the smallest I'd consider for a truck, and I'd prefer 600.
Note that I've been an EV owner for ten years, and have a great deal of practical experience with both daily driving use and long trips. I also own a pickup, and a tractor, a boat, a c
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:1)
Depends if it's an African Silverado or a European Silverado.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?... [youtube.com]
Alaska and Heat (Score:2)
I want to know the range with the HEAT full blast, and 8 minutes of warm up time (for the seats and wheel). I am in Northern Alaska.
Re: (Score:2)
Based on my i3, the heat up time is far faster than an ICE.
The range is terrible when it's cold, but it's blasting very hot air in about 30 seconds.
Re:Alaska and Heat (Score:5, Interesting)
Colorado native here, driving a Tesla model 3.
If you aren't an early adopter EV techno-geek, you don't want a Tesla in Alaska. You could make it work, but you'd never leave town with it. Instead, get a diesel. You'll have to leave it plugged in all the time if you ever want to get it started, which will condition you for always plugging in an EV when it becomes practical for you :-p
On really cold mornings ( 0F, what I call really cold) the car will alert me that regenerative breaking will be diminished until the car warms up, which takes about 10 minutes of driving. Cabin heat is instant: defroster, vents blowing hot air, and obviously the electric seat heater. 8 minute warm up time not needed, 30 seconds is enough. If I insist on wearing a Hawaiian short sleeve shirt and shorts on a cold day, I'll tell the car to warm up with the cell phone app while I'm finishing breakfast. The coldest part of my day is the walk to and from the car (desk job). Overall range is 20% to 30% less in the cold, but I rarely drive 200 miles in a day, so I don't care. My commute is 40 miles round trip. No range anxiety, ever, even with unplanned excursions before or after work. The drive from Prudhoe Bay to Fairbanks would be a challenge, for any vehicle :-p Anywhere within the typical metropolitan area of any sprawling US city or town, including Alaska, and you'll have no issues. In fact, operating in the cold will make the batteries last longer, as in more charge cycles, not range. High heat is hard on the battery chemistry. Without a local supercharger network, you'll have to rely on a 240V 50amp shop/dryer/welding plug, which will get you about 40 miles of range per hour - not reasonable for a multi-stop commute.
Re: (Score:3)
I want to know the range with the HEAT full blast, and 8 minutes of warm up time (for the seats and wheel). I am in Northern Alaska.
BEVs aren't ready for Alaska, and Alaska isn't ready for BEVs. Stick with gas/diesel.
Will BEVs ever be appropriate for Alaskans who don't stay in one of the metro areas? Eventually you'll be able to travel with a BEV anywhere that you can now travel with a normally-configured ICEV (i.e. without extra fuel), but it's going to take a good long while. Probably not as long as it took to build up the infrastructure needed for ICEVs to get around, but a decade or two.
500 miles (Score:2)
and I'll buy it
Talk is Cheap. Batteries are not. (Score:3)
I am glad to see GM to at least pretend to take the EV market seriously, but they have a long way to go.
However the habits of their behemoth R&D and production organizations are not going to change easily. If at all.
I am sure they will make a reasonably decent EV truck. But given how they do things versus how Tesla does things gives gives the Cybertruck a huge advantage. The inexpensive stainless steel exoskeleton design without curves and the factory line with no paint shop as well as other cost-saving optimization will result in the retail price of the Cybertruck (including a decent Tesla margin) being most likely less than it will cost GM to make their Silverado EV. With all their super manufacturing.
At least GM seems to be going vertical with their battery supply. More than the appearance of any prototype vehichle that signals that they might actually be serious this time around.
Re: (Score:2)
I am glad to see GM to at least pretend to take the EV market seriously, but they have a long way to go.
However the habits of their behemoth R&D and production organizations are not going to change easily. If at all.
I am sure they will make a reasonably decent EV truck. But given how they do things versus how Tesla does things gives gives the Cybertruck a huge advantage. The inexpensive stainless steel exoskeleton design without curves and the factory line with no paint shop as well as other cost-saving optimization will result in the retail price of the Cybertruck (including a decent Tesla margin) being most likely less than it will cost GM to make their Silverado EV. With all their super manufacturing.
You mean this thing [tesla.com]? Maybe if I'm planning on making a cyberpunk movie (hence the name?) but it's going to have to be really cheap to convince me to be seen around town driving that.
There's people who will buy the Cybertruck because they want everyone to know they have a Tesla, but if I'm picking who will dominate the EV truck market it's going to be a somewhat traditional looking vehicle.
Re: (Score:2)
The first fresh looking pickup truck in my lifetime. That's why I ordered one.
Re: (Score:2)
You mean this thing [tesla.com]? Maybe if I'm planning on making a cyberpunk movie (hence the name?) but it's going to have to be really cheap to convince me to be seen around town driving that.
There's people who will buy the Cybertruck because they want everyone to know they have a Tesla, but if I'm picking who will dominate the EV truck market it's going to be a somewhat traditional looking vehicle.
As opposed to this thing [wikipedia.org]? Oh, wait. What am I thinking. To you I am sure that is just soooo beautifullll and totes to die for. Your heart goes pitter-patter and eyes get weepy. That's ok you can take some more time in your bunk.
Get a grip dude.
Re: (Score:3)
You mean this thing [tesla.com]? Maybe if I'm planning on making a cyberpunk movie (hence the name?) but it's going to have to be really cheap to convince me to be seen around town driving that.
There's people who will buy the Cybertruck because they want everyone to know they have a Tesla, but if I'm picking who will dominate the EV truck market it's going to be a somewhat traditional looking vehicle.
As opposed to this thing [wikipedia.org]? Oh, wait. What am I thinking. To you I am sure that is just soooo beautifullll and totes to die for. Your heart goes pitter-patter and eyes get weepy. That's ok you can take some more time in your bunk.
Get a grip dude.
The problem with building an elaborate profile of another person based on your skewed reading of their position is that you usually end up being completely wrong and looking like an idiot.
I don't own a pickup truck, I've never wanted to own a pickup truck, and I have zero desire to be viewed as someone who drives around in a pickup truck.
Pickup trucks are useful for hauling around tools and are otherwise fairly impractical. And one thing I find a bit obnoxious is guys driving around pickup trucks they have
The have to (Score:4, Interesting)
I'm not sure they survive this. They failed to hold on when the Japanese came for their cars. Now that we've got a wave of startups and well funded Chinese automotive contenders pointing daggers directly at the heart of the domestic OEMs, they could be in trouble. If history is any guide, they'll fail this test again.
Charging network (Score:3)
A lot of people talk about Tesla having a big target on its back with all these incumbent car companies catching up. True, but the charging network is where Tesla really shines, and it's going to be another game of catch-up that isn't being talked about as much. So ya got this big GM truck with a lot of range, what are the odds that you can find a DCFC at the end of the trip?
Other people have done this analysis more in depth than me, and concluded that it's a pretty big hurdle. There are ways to lie about these statistics too, such as only quoting the "number of stations" and not specifying the type of chargers or number of chargers. For example, there's a small town near here with a park, and a charging station next to the park where they launch boats in to the lake. You can count that as a charging station, but it's only got two outlets. They are 7kw AC. That's not going to charge the truck to 400 mile range, or whatever its max range is when towing a boat, not unless you spend the night. I don't know about the motels, but something tells me the little mom-n-pop motels that cater to bass boaters don't have DCFC.
That's the kind of thing that takes this truck off the list for just about all the customers that would usually buy a truck. I'm not saying it's never going to happen. I'm saying GET A REAL CHARGING NETWORK.
Re: (Score:1)
For example, there's a small town near here with a park, and a charging station next to the park where they launch boats in to the lake. You can count that as a charging station, but it's only got two outlets. They are 7kw AC. That's not going to charge the truck to 400 mile range, or whatever its max range is when towing a boat, not unless you spend the night.
We had two chargers put in near my office, then one day I noticed one was broken, so if you were relying on that to get home, you'd be catching the bus.
Or when the third person buys their EV what do they do? This doesn't sound like a great solution to me.
Re: (Score:2)
and as we all know, it's the only solution that can ever exist. The world sprang into being with a gas station on every corner, right?
Re: (Score:2)
"...it's going to be another game of catch-up that isn't being talked about as much."
Talked about as much as what? It's talked about literally ALL the time and it's the reason conventional auto manufacturers have held off entering the market to date. It is literally the entire issue. Every car company in the world can make a better car than Tesla, they don't because there hasn't been shared charging infrastructure so far.
Spending VC money on building out a charging network has worked for the first player
How much? (Score:2)
The new Hummer EV truck is going to be around $110K for around 350 miles of range. At price, you're not using it as a truck, you're using it as a hillbilly status vehicle. I can't imagine the Silverado costing much less. Moreover, how far can you really pull a bass boat with one of those? Asking for a friend.
Re: (Score:2)
"I can't imagine the Silverado costing much less."
Why, because doing so wouldn't suit your narrative? Rivian has 400 mile options for cheaper than you quote, "imagine" that!
"how far can you really pull a bass boat with one of those?"
As far as a conventional truck with similar non-towing range. Range reduction isn't dependent on the power source. If your friend doesn't know this, he's a moron.
Haha (Score:2)
Given the Sliverado's current repair record, as documented by Consumer Reports, it is likely that 400 mile "range" refers not to the battery but to MTBF.
Time to Charge (Score:1)
Those are the times ... (Score:2)
A year ago people were complaining of not enough range. Scared about lack of charging options, until some guys pointed out: you can charge at home.
Now they complain: range of 600 miles is much to much. The battery is to heavy. In a pickup ... LoL!