- The 2024 GMC Sierra electric pickup truck arrives in early 2024 with an estimated 400 miles of range, up to 9500 pounds of towing capacity, and 780 lb-ft of torque enabling a sprint to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds.
- While the Silverado EV is billed as athletic and rugged, the development team considers the Sierra EV to be more sophisticated.
- Before swearing off electric pickups as ridiculously overpriced, know that less expensive Sierra EVs are coming with a starting price around $50,000.
Ford proudly proclaims its Ford F-Series pickup trucks as America’s best-selling vehicle for four decades, which is quite a feat, but General Motors packs a potent 1-2 punch of its own with a pair of full-size pickups. Through the first three quarters of this year, the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra have combined for more than 543,000 deliveries in the US, handily topping Ford F-Series sales of 425,000 trucks.
Most of those sales rely on internal-combustion engines, of course, but of the trio of big domestic pickups—F-Series, Silverado/Sierra, and Ram—Ford was first to market with its full-size all-electric F-150 Lightning. Ensuring that the cross-town rivalry will extend well into the electrified era, Chevrolet has already provided details of its upcoming Silverado EV, and now GMC gets its moment in the spotlight with the Sierra EV.
Both the Silverado and Sierra EVs spring from GM’s flexible Ultium battery architecture (body-on-frame with lithium-ion batteries integrated as part of the structure) and will come to market in early 2024, assembled at GM’s former Detroit Hamtramck plant, now retooled to assemble only EVs under the name, Factory Zero.
As was the case with the Silverado EV rollout, GMC will tag the Sierra EV with a steep entry point for the early adopters: The 2024 Sierra EV Denali Edition 1 will reach its first US customers in early 2024 at a starting price of $108,695.
Before you roll your eyes and swear off electric pickups as overpriced and bougie, know that less expensive versions of the EV are coming with a starting price around $50,000. That’s a premium of about $15k above a bare-bones, gasoline-powered 2022 GMC Sierra 1500. For model-year 2025, GMC will introduce Sierra EVs in AT4 and Elevation trims.
The specs are impressive for the Sierra EV Denali Edition 1, with an estimated 400 miles of range, up to 9500 pounds of towing capacity, 754 hp and 780 lb-ft of torque (in Max Power mode) enabling a sprint to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds. The truck can “crab walk” sideways like a GMC Hummer EV, which also employs GM’s Ultium battery architecture and comes from Factory Zero.
When stationary, a fully charged Sierra EV can provide vehicle-to-home charging—in the case of an extended power outage—to keep a refrigerator and some lights on for a solid three weeks, thanks to Onboard Power Station Pro capability. In all, the Sierra EV offers 10.2 kW of off-board power through up to 10 outlets for tools, accessories, and perhaps to power a rock band.
The Sierra EV can add up to 100 miles of range in about 10 minutes with 800-volt DC fast charging at up to 350 kW.
So how do GM’s full-size pickup truck twins differ? The sheetmetal and features are basically the same, but exterior trim and lighting, interior trim, and grilles are unique. While the Silverado EV is billed as athletic and rugged, the development team considers the Sierra EV to be more sophisticated, as in, Professional Grade, to quote its marketing literature. All Sierra and Silverado EVs will be configured with crew cabs and a 5-foot-11 bed.
On the inside, GMC (like Chevrolet) wants its EV pickup customers to find the surroundings familiar but advanced, so there’s a large vertically oriented 16.8-inch infotainment touchscreen—the Silverado EV gets a horizontal info screen—and interior materials include aluminum, etched stainless steel, and open-pore wood that even incorporates the wireless induction phone charging.
On long trips, the Sierra EV Denali Edition 1 includes Super Cruise, which allows hands-free driving on more than 400,000 miles of compatible roads across the US and Canada, even when towing.
A fixed panoramic glass roof allows natural light to pour in, and designers streamlined the instrument panel and applied contrast seat stitching to convey attention to detail.
Perhaps the most innovative interior feature (shared with the Silverado EV) is the MultiPro Midgate that allows the bulkhead behind the cabin to retract for storing longer items, such as ladders or surfboards.
This feature will be familiar to anyone who owned a Chevy Avalanche pickup, but the new configuration in the Sierra and Silverado EVs allows for more flexibility and full storage of the glass bulkhead, below the seats when folded flat.
Upfront, GMC refers to the frunk as its “eTrunk,” a large lockable, weatherproof storage compartment that allows for easy loading in when the hood is raised. Reservations for the Sierra EV Denali Edition 1 are now open to shoppers at www.gmc.com.
If you're considering an all-electric full-size EV pickup, which one do you find most compelling? Please comment below.
