GMC Unveils 2024 Sierra Pickup Truck EV: A $107,000 Beast With 400-Mile Range
The truck can haul 9,500-pound loads and ‘crabwalk’ to drive diagonally.
The race for a high-range, high-power pickup truck to satisfy the EV-resistant purists is on.
The 2024 GMC Sierra EV Denali Edition 1 pickup truck will have 400 miles of range, compared to just over 300 miles on a Rivian RT1 electric truck and 240 miles on the Ford F-150 Lightning. It also packs some serious power into its massive frame, delivering 754 horsepower and 785 lb-ft of torque in max power mode.
“It leaves nothing on the table when it comes to hauling, towing, and overall power,” says Duncan Aldred, vice president of Global Buick and GMC.
Price and Competition
At $107,000, the GMC Sierra EV pickup truck will be among the most expensive electric trucks when it hits the market in 2024. At that price, it will compete most directly with the Rivian RT1 and GMC’s own Hummer, both of which are around $100,000 depending on trim and customizations.
However, while GMC plans to launch the Sierra EV with the fully loaded 2024 edition, two slimmed-down trims will follow: the AT4 and Elevation. The Elevation will start “in the heart of the truck market, around $50,000,” a GMC representative tells PCMag.
Pickup truck shoppers looking to spend around $50,000 will have many choices in 2024 and 2025. That’s about how much the base model 2022 and 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning costs, as will the all-new 2024 Chevy Silverado EV, 2024 RAM pickup, and Tesla Cybertruck (if it’s not delayed again, that is).
Powerful Performance
For those concerned about parallel parking the Sierra EV, or easing it in and out of smaller spaces, the pickup will have the ability to “crabwalk,” or turn its “rear wheels in unison and at the same angle as the front wheels, allowing diagonal movement of the vehicle.” (The Sierra can challenge the Tesla Cybertruck to a crabwalk-off, because it will have the same capability.)
The truck’s performance has a “max power” mode with 754 horsepower, 785 lb-ft of torque, and 0 to 60 acceleration in less than 4.5 seconds, GMC estimates. That’s pretty quick for this large of a vehicle, as the $300,000 Cadillac sedan EV will do the same in 3.8 seconds—a tiny difference for a much smaller, more expensive vehicle.
Towing Capacity
At first glance, drivers will notice the truck’s enormous bed, which allows for 11 feet of storage, GMC tells us. Combined with the truck’s “tow mode” and “off road” settings, that will come in handy for big hauls and commercial work.
GMC positions the vehicle as a powerful, mini tow truck, with up to 9,500 pounds of max towing capacity. Although keep in mind that the premium trim on the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning, which is about $75,000, can reach up to a 10,000-pound towing capacity, MotorTrend reports. That’s over $25,000 in savings if tow capacity is your main concern.
The “GMC-first MultiPro Midgate expandable bed offers room for hauling longer items, while still enabling room for a rear-seat passenger,” GMC says.
Dash Screen and Self-Driving Software
The Sierra’s 16.8-inch infotainment-rich touch screen rivals the 17-inch screens on Teslas.
As for self driving, the Sierra will have Super Cruise, a “hands-free driver assistance technology [that can drive] on more than 400,000 miles of compatible roads in the US and Canada,” GMC says. It’s also “trailering-capable.” Since GMC did not include too much information here, it’s likely that self-driving is not a main differentiator.
Interior Look and Feel
The truck promises to be a luxurious ride with premium seats and lots of legroom. You can lower it by 2 inches for easy access, or raise it by just as much to feel more like sitting up on a throne.
The seats are made of premium materials, “with exceptional attention to detail — from seat stitching that invokes the bold lines of the truck’s profile to a streamlined dashboard,” GMC says.
The dash features premium wood materials as well as a wireless charger. Overhead, the roof is made of panoramic fixed glass.
Battery and Range
The biggest reason for the truck’s steep price tag is likely the supersized battery capacity, resulting in a 400-mile range. (The 2024 Chevy Silverado will also have 400-mile range.) That’s a quick evolution for the industry, as no trucks on the road today have such a high range, with the Ford F-150 Lightning and Rivian RT1 at 200 to 320 miles, depending on trim.
The Sierra and Silverado, both GM-owned, will use the brand’s proprietary Ultium battery platform and accompanying Ultium Charge 360 app for finding chargers and monitoring power levels in the vehicle. When using 350kWh public fast chargers, the Sierra can draw up to 100 miles of range in just 10 minutes, which GMC claims is “the best charging capability in the EV truck segment.”
Bi-Directional Charging
The Sierra will have bi-directional charging as well, meaning the charge stored in the battery can be used as a generator to power tailgates, camping gear, phones, and the like.
“[The Sierra EV] has the ability to off board 10.2Kw of power, which is enough to run the essential devices in a properly equipped home for up to 21 days,” GMC tells PCMag.
It will be one of just a few vehicles with bi-directional capabilities; the Ford F-150 Lightning also supports it. GM plans to make bi-directional charging into a revenue source for vehicle owners by allowing them to sell stored power back to utility companies during times of peak consumption.
Stats Summary
- Miles of Range: 400 miles
- Charge Time: 100 miles of range in just 10 minutes when DC fast charging
- Dash Screen Size: 16.8 inches
- Self Driving Capabilities: Limited driver assist functions with SuperCruise
- Trunk Size: 11 feet of storage capacity in the truck bed, including front trunk or “frunk”
- Horsepower: 754hp in max power mode.
- Torque: 785 lb-ft in max power mode.
- Time to go 0 to 60: 4.5 seconds
- Battery warranty: Likely the same 8-year warranty as the Hummer EV
Originally published at https://www.pcmag.com.
