Before the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV gets built at the GM Factory Zero plant in Detroit-Hamtramck, all of its parts and sub systems need building first. To accomplish this, General Motors is investing over $50 million USD into its Bedford, Indiana die casting plant to build drive unit castings for the upcoming electric pickup truck.
Bedford already builds similar die castings for the GMC Hummer EV pickup truck and SUV. Both Hummers and the Chevrolet Silverado EV are underpinned by the GM BT1 electric full-size truck and SUV platform, which utilizes the company’s new Ultium battery technology. Expect a similar announcement to come when the time is right for the automaker to share more details on the GMC Sierra EV, as well.
The 1 million-square-foot Bedford die casting plant began operation back in 1942. Today, the plant employs nearly 900 hourly and salaried workers who manage semipermanent mold and die casting processes that produce cylinder heads, cylinder blocks, transmission cases, structural components and drive unit housings for a wide range of GM vehicles.
Image via Chevrolet## Chevrolet Silverado EV: Confirmed Details
General Motors plans to reveal the Chevrolet Silverado EV at the 2022 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) on January 5 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Presenting the electric pickup truck will be none other than General Motors Chair and CEO Mary Barra, who has been personally helming much of the communication for the company’s new electric vehicles.
On top trim levels, the Chevrolet Silverado EV will have 24-inch wheels, the largest wheel GM has ever confirmed on a truck. We’re not sure how that’s going to feel with thinner sidewalls and all of that battery pack being lugged around, but considering that General Motors has some of the best chassis tuners in the business, we doubt there will be much compromise.
Image via Chevrolet.
The Silverado EV will also offer a fixed glass roof, which is meant to offer additional headroom, better visibility, and an enhanced riding experience for both front and rear passengers. This will be the first application of an available fixed-glass roof on a GM pickup in the full-size truck segment.
Previous reports have claimed that the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV could begin sale in early 2023, as GM moves swiftly to answer the Ford F-150 Lightning, which is expected to begin production in springtime of 2022. The Chevrolet electric pickup truck is expected to have around 400 miles of range.
GM CEO Mary Barra has otherwise described the new Silverado EV as “stunning,” and the truck will be built alongside the GMC Hummer EV in America. All of GM’s BT1 platform vehicles are expected to be built at the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly plant, which has been renamed to “Factory Zero“. The facility is undergoing a $2+ billion USD renovation.
Pricing, options, accessories for the Silverado EV remain TBA. But hold on to your butts, as a lot more details on this exciting new truck will be announced in just a few weeks.
Image Via GM.
