A 2026 Chevrolet Silverado EV has set a new world record, delivering 1,059.2 miles on a full charge. That’s more than twice the truck’s EPA-estimated range. What did it take to get there? Well, it took a lot of inspiration – and perspiration. Headlight.News has more.
A Chevrolet Silverado EV Work Truck wraps up a week-long mileage test with a new world record.
It’s a relatively cool day on Detroit’s Belle Isle, only in the mid-80s this particular afternoon, but that’s good news for Joe Roy and his team of Chevrolet engineers. Earlier in the week, temperatures had touched triple digits – and even higher inside the Silverado EV they took turns driving.
Setting a world record is never easy, all the more so when it comes to besting the all-time high mileage numbers set earlier this year. It took a mix of inspiration – and perspiration – but their battery-electric pickup managed to go 1,059.2 miles on a single charge.
That was not only more than twice the Silverado EV Work Truck’s EPA-rated 493 miles range, but nearly 50% better than the previous record, 749 miles on one charge, set by a Lucid Air EV earlier this summer.
More than the normal range anxiety
Chevrolet offers multiple versions of the Silverado EV, the Work Truck trim maxing out range at 493 miles.
Today’s EVs deliver far better range than they did only a few years ago. The Silverado has one of the longest EPA ratings of any battery-electric vehicle on the market, at an estimated 493 miles per charge. Of course, as the old tagline goes, “mileage may vary,” and Chevy was hoping to use that to its advantage “to prove what these vehicles can do,” Roy said during a lunchtime break.
Among other things, that meant turning the truck’s climate control off for the duration of the test which lasted more than seven days on public roads around the General Motors Milford Proving Ground and on Detroit’s Belle Isla state park.
After months of planning, about 40 GM engineers volunteered to share driving duties. But one thing they didn’t do was make any modifications to the truck. “They used smart driving techniques,” Chevy said, stressing that “the truck’s hardware and software were untouched, and the only adjustments made were well within the real-world capabilities of Silverado EV owners.
Sweating the small stuff
Range can vary dramatically, depending upon things like speed and whether the Silverado EV is towing a heavy load.
Running 24/7 meant some sticky moments for the volunteers charged with driving the Silverado EV. But they didn’t just shut off climate control. Other steps included:
- Holding down vehicle weight but having no passengers in the truck whenever possible, And the spare tire was also removed;
- Windshield wipers were set to their lowest “acceptable” position to reduce wind drag;
- Tires were inflated to maximum safe pressure to reduce rolling resistance;
- An accessory tonneau also reduced drag;
- *Whenever possible, the truck was driven at speeds of 20 to 25 miles per hour and drivers were told to minimize hard launches or aggressive braking maneuvers.
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Hitting the record
Chevy beat the previous range record of 749 miles set by a Lucid Air earlier this summer.
The team did cheat a little. Once they topped their original, 1.000-mile target they were allowed to turn the air conditioning on. The truck still managed to keep going for nearly 60 more miles while looping around the 982-acre Belle Isle park. When it finally ran out of electrons it coasted off to the side of the road.
What does the project mean for the typical EV owner? Realistically, no one is going to more than double the rated range in normal driving, but the project does show ways to beat the EPA rating, among other things by holding down weight, slowing down and avoiding jackrabbit launches and aggressive braking. EVs use regenerative braking systems to recapture energy normally lost through friction and heat – but they can’t get it all, especially when you slam the brakes hard.
For Chevy, the engineering team also had some lessons driven home, said Roy, noting he and his crew are “always looking at ways to improve efficiency.” One area that GM can do that, he acknowledged is by “looking at ways to reduce mass.” To some critics, that’s one of the biggest weaknesses of the Silverado EV. Depending upon configuration, the truck weighs in at as much as 9,000 pounds.
Roy and other members of the team are already thinking about what comes next. Even without any major changes to the Silverado EV, however, they’re confident they could beat their own record given a little more time to plan their strategy.
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