Page 65 - Motor Trend (April 2020)

ELECTRIC PICKUPS
I f Ford’s playing, by golly, so is the
General. Actually, GM may well have
initiated its e-truck engineering efforts
before Ford but held the announcement
for use as a UAW bargaining chip during
contract negotiations (production keeps
GM’s Detroit-Hamtramck plant running).
GM’s strategy includes a platform archi-
tecture in three sizes to support utility
vehicles and pickups for three brands.
Cadillac, Chevrolet, and GMC are
expected to get these new products,
which launch in 2021, with the Cadillac
making its debut first. A Silverado-sized
Chevy will be based on the largest of
GM’s three electric platforms and rival
the claimed capabilities of the Rivian/
Ford/Tesla competition. The second truck,
on the middle-size platform, will be an
off-road lifestyle vehicle branded Hummer
and sold through GMC dealers. That one
will be an electric Jeep Gladiator
alternative in terms of style
and capability.
Renders: Avavarii
This speculative illustration presumes
a design that trades heavily on F-150
styling themes, but Ford could as
easily head in a radically different
design direction, given the truck’s
unique underpinnings.
badging appears on the Hummer, we and a pickup truck (and electric motors
Nomenclature is uncertain. If any GMC
are relatively inexpensive to develop),
expect something like a subscript “by we instead expect a more bespoke
GMC.” And Chevy might well eschew approach. A two-speed gearbox
Silverado nomenclature and follow its enabling low range would boost the
pattern of giving EVs vaguely electric- Hummer’s off-road cred. We’d also like to
sounding names. No powertrain or see EV pioneer GM revert to the EV1’s AC
chassis specifics have been divulged induction technology for the front motor
yet. It’s tempting to imagine that an easy so that during low-load cruising it can
and expedient initial powertrain solution idle without producing drag as a perma-
would be to attach a Bolt EV motor to nent-magnet rear motor does the work.
each axle—or to each wheel for Rivian- Like all other electric pickups on our
besting torque vectoring. (The Chevrolet radar, GM’s will feature independent
E-10 SEMA concept pickup shown in suspension front and rear. Electric truck
November was powered by two Bolt EV buyers who insist on leaf springs and
motors, but they were ganged together a live rear axle are going to have to
as an eCrate concept electric retrofit build it themselves using that Chevrolet
package that bolts to a conventional Performance eCrate solution. We would
automatic transmission.) expect the Chevy to use steel springs
Because the duty cycles are so and the Hummer to go with height-ad-
different between the compact Bolt EV justable air springs.
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