Glacier FarmMedia – GM continues to move toward its goal of offering a zero-emissions fleet of vehicles by 2035 and abandoning the internal combustion engine.
The latest announcement in its BEV (battery electric vehicle) development program is a full-sized, fully electric Sierra pickup that will begin delivery to dealers in early 2024. It will join the brand’s other EV pickup, the Hummer version, introduced several months ago.
The first model will be the Sierra EV Denali Edition 1. GM claims it will have an estimated 640-kilometre range due to its dedicated Ultium EV platform design.
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“This is the Denali of EVs — and a truck that is every bit a GMC,” said Duncan Aldred, vice-president of Global Buick and GMC. “That means it leaves nothing on the table when it comes to hauling, towing and overall power, while unlocking even more possibilities around what a GMC pickup can offer.”
The 2024 Sierra EV Denali Edition 1 will be available for purchase after its official launch in early 2024. GM will introduce two additional trim level models, the Sierra EV AT4 and Elevation, in the 2025 model year.
“The 2024 Sierra EV Denali Edition 1 is just the beginning,” added Aldred. “It will offer customers our very latest in technology, capability and luxury delivered in a way only GMC can do, with much more to come.”
Specifications
The EV Sierra should be a capable truck, at least according to GM’s description of its specifications. Together, the front and rear axle electric drive units will produce 754 horsepower and 785 pound-feet of torque at the wheels.
The truck gets a 9,500-pound (4,309-kilogram) tow rating. If speed is your thing, the EV Sierra has a zero-to-60 time of 4.5 seconds.
The Sierra can also be used as a mobile power station with 10.2 kilowatts of off-board power available. That’s enough, according to GM, to power a home’s basic systems for up to 21 days. It can also quickly recharge enough power to travel 160 kilometres in 10 minutes at a public fast-charging facility, so no long delays on extended trips for topping up batteries.
The initial EV Sierra release will be a high-spec’d model, with just about every option GM offers in pickups coming standard, along with a few more like the “panoramic fixed glass roof.” It has a 16.8-inch infotainment screen, the largest one ever for a GM pickup. That’s aside from the 11-inch driver information screen and multicoloured heads-up display. There are also 14 available camera views to show all sides of the vehicle.
Underneath the body is air ride adaptive suspension that can alter ride height by up to two inches.
And pushing the boundaries of technology, the Sierra gets trailering-capable Super Cruise Hands-Free Driver Assistance, which can be used on 400,000 miles of select roadways in North America. But GM doesn’t want you to be watching YouTube videos while you leave all the driving to the truck. This feature still requires full driver supervision.
“This truck is everything customers know about the Sierra, but is so much more,” said Nichole Kraatz, chief engineer of GM Battery Electric Trucks. “Leveraging GM’s dedicated Ultium pickup platform, it takes the Sierra franchise to new benchmarks of capability, versatility and luxury — all in a zero-tailpipe-emissions package.”
The Sierra has five drive modes, one of which can be customized to suit driver preferences. Like on the Hummer pickup EV, there is four-wheel steering capability that turns both front and rear wheels to let the Sierra navigate very sharp corners, crab steer to move diagonally and one-pedal driving, which only requires use of the accelerator pedal to move and stop the truck.
All these high-end features lead to thoughts that the 2024 Sierra EV Denali Edition 1 is expensive. Yes. GM says it expects to slap a US$107,000 MSRP on the window sticker. However, for those can wait one more year for a battery electric Sierra, closer to the release date of the initial Sierra model, GM will reveal the full range of EV Sierras that start at an approximate base price of $50,000.
– This article was originally published at Grainews.
