The upcoming Silverado electric pickup/ute from GM’s Chevrolet division will offer four-wheel steering and optional 24-inch wheels on select models and trims, allowing for a much tighter turning circle even at low speeds.
Chevrolet announced in April that it was working on a Silverado electric ute that would be built at the company’s Factory Zero assembly plant in Detroit and Hamtramck, Michigan.
The electric full-size pickup has been designed “from the ground up to be an EV,” making the most of the company’s Ultium Platform, the EV battery joint venture between General Motors and battery maker LG Chem that was announced in late-2019.
Chevrolet’s promised electric Silverado is expected to have a range of nearly 650-kilometres on a full charge, according to General Motors’ own testing.
The April announcement of an electric Silverado builds on parent company General Motors’ plans to offer as many as 30 electric vehicles by 2025.
On Wednesday, Chevrolet teased in a video that its new electric Silverado ute will have four-wheel steer, providing the Silverado with an impressively tight turning circle at low speeds, improved handling, and stability at higher speeds.
Chevrolet’s decision to include four-wheel steering on the Silverado follows a similar decision by its GM stablemate, the 2022 Hummer EV that wa unveiled in October of 2020.
The Hummer will come with a “CrabWalk” mode that will allow the vehicle to drive diagonally to navigate difficult off-road sections.
Similarly, electric mobility start-up Rivian has also promised that it’s R1T electric pickup and R1S SUV will be able to spin the left and right wheels in opposite directions allowing the cars to make a “tank turn”. This is made possible by a drive system which relies on four independently controlled electric motors.
More information about Chevrolet’s Silverado is expected later this year before the vehicle’s launch by the end of the year.
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.