Silverado EV struggles to gain traction in the U.S. and Canada

General Motors’ electric truck, the Chevrolet Silverado EV, offers strong specifications, including traveling over 400 miles on a single charge. Yet, the vehicle has struggled to find a significant market. Last year, GM sold about 14,000 Silverado EVs in the U.S. and Canada. By comparison, the traditional fossil fuel Silverado sells 10 times that volume in a single quarter. This slow start comes despite the vehicle’s practical design, which includes a cavernous front trunk, or “frunk,” and a spacious cabin. The slow sales highlight a potential disconnect between automaker expectations and the truck market’s inertia regarding EV adoption.

The driving experience is supported by a responsive Google-powered infotainment system, which provides navigation and services, and GM’s Super Cruise, a Level 2 advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS). Following a brief test of the Chevrolet Bolt with Super Cruise in March, a longer drive through the Detroit metro area during peak commuting hours showed the system’s capabilities in a larger vehicle. While the infotainment system proved highly responsive and the driver-assistance system generally kept the ride smooth, the 4.5 ton vehicle experienced a nerve-wracking Super Cruise moment when the Silverado EV nearly plowed into a dirty paint mixer trailer.

Industry observers frequently point to price and towing capacity as barriers to adoption, though market data presents a more nuanced picture. Buyers of full-size pickups spend an average of $66,000, which is only $5,000 less than the list price of the Silverado EV LT Extended Range, which achieves 410 miles on a full charge. The LT Max Range variant offers an additional 68 miles of range but costs $20,000 more.

While the EV’s towing range is 60% shorter than its standard range, data from Strategic Vision, a market research firm cited for towing data, indicates that about 75% of full-size truck owners tow at most once per year. This indicates that there are roughly 400,000 fossil fuel-powered Silverado buyers who do not regularly tow and could theoretically transition to electric models. To overcome market inertia and lower the entry barrier, GM has heavily hinted that it plans to use lithium-manganese-rich (LMR) battery chemistry to reduce costs by about $6,000 later this decade while preserving the vehicle’s range.

Why it matters

The Silverado EV illustrates a broader challenge for automakers: even when technical specs meet or exceed expectations, market inertia and consumer concerns about range and utility can stifle adoption of electric alternatives.