Hi ho, Silverado EV! Chevy's electric work truck sets range record

A Chevy Silverado EV Work Truck went 1,059 miles on a single charge, breaking the previous world record, General Motors said.

John Hitch

Jade Brasher

Sept. 2, 2025

3 min read

Key Highlights

With efficient driving, GM employees and engineers drove the Silverado EV Work Truck over 1,000 miles on a single charge
Over 40 employees took part in the test, with each following certain rules and best practices to test the EV's range
However, Jon Doremus, a propulsion calibration engineering manager at General Motors, thought the truck could have gone even further in the right circumstances

A group of General Motors employees broke the EV single-charge range record with a 2026 Silverado EV Work Truck equipped with an extended range battery. The truck ran a total of 1,059.2 miles, obliterating the single-charge range record previously held by the Lucid Air Grand Touring at 749 miles.

Range anxiety has been one of the biggest factors keeping fleets from going all in on electric commercial vehicles. But in July, General Motors addressed those fears by demonstrating how far a Chevrolet Silverado Work Truck can go on a single charge: a record-shattering 1,059.2 miles. This was 41% longer than the previous single-charge range record holder, a Lucid Air Grand Touring. That luxury electric sedan, which is over $40,000 more than the Silverado EV WT used, travelled 749 miles.

This experiment was spawned by “a lot of engineers ‘nerding’ out on what could possibly be done when you try to optimize every little thing,” explained Jon Doremus, a propulsion calibration engineering manager at General Motors.

He was also the final driver who coasted on a fully depleted battery into a parking spot at Belle Isle in Detroit to complete the journey.

To break the 1,000-mile barrier, this 2026 Silverado EV was equipped with a 205-kWh "Max" battery and was driven by 40 GM employees near the OEM's Michigan proving grounds and Belle Isle in Detroit over seven days on public roads. Chevy touts the 2026 Silverado EV Max Range WT as being able to go 493 miles on a full charge.

The trip may have yielded even better results, “If we would have picked the top, best drivers and only had them drive the whole time," Doremus said.

He also admitted he broke the energy-saving "no A/C" rule once the Silvrado crested the 1,000-mile goal.

“I did turn it on after we hit 1,000 miles, if I'm completely honest,” Doremus said with a laugh. “I was getting hot, and I was like, ‘That was our target … Let's just turn this thing on for a little bit.’"

Silverado EV range displayed on the infotainment system — Here, the record range is displayed on the Silverado EV's infotainment screen.

The engineers also set several other parameters to increase overall efficiency:

Target speed of 20 to 25 mph
No passengers
Spare tire removed
Minimal hard braking and quick accelerating
Windshield wiper arms set to lower position
Tonneau cover installed to reduce drag.
Tires inflated to 80 psi to reduce rolling resistance
Optimal wheel alignment

Furthermore, because the test took several days, the team hooked a 12V battery tender to the Silverado EV from which it could draw power if “it happens to do an update or something like that,” Doremus explained.

He acknowledged that a working fleet would not pull out all these stops to boost miles (what driver would be OK with no A/C in July?), but despite that, “some of the most impactful things that we did are the things that customers can learn.”

For starters, the experiment shows how much impact speed has on range and battery life. It's unlikely most users, such as a municipal fleet or contractor, would spring for the more costly Max Range trim. And oftentimes they'll use that battery to power tools, lights, and other devices on the jobsite. Therefore, it's best not to expend any juice speeding there.

Doremus also suggested that EV owners and drivers find the most efficient routes. That doesn't necessarily mean the one with the least amount of stops, as EVs utilize regenerative braking, which returns some braking energy back to the battery.

The GM engineer also suggested low-speed applications, such as security patrols, would be ideal places for EVs.

For more info on the test, visit FleetOwner.com.

And here's a walkthrough of the 2025 Silverado EV WT, provided to Fleet Maintenance last year:

About the Author

John Hitch

Editor-in-chief, Fleet Maintenance

John Hitch is the award-winning editor-in-chief of Fleet Maintenance, where his mission is to provide maintenance leaders and technicians with the the latest information on tools, strategies, and best practices to keep their fleets' commercial vehicles moving.

He is based out of Cleveland, Ohio, and has worked in the B2B journalism space for more than a decade. Hitch was previously senior editor for FleetOwner and before that was technology editor for IndustryWeek and and managing editor of New Equipment Digest.

Hitch graduated from Kent State University and was editor of the student magazine The Burr in 2009.

The former sonar technician served honorably aboard the fast-attack submarine USS Oklahoma City (SSN-723), where he participated in counter-drug ops, an under-ice expedition, and other missions he's not allowed to talk about for several more decades.

Jade Brasher

Senior Editor Jade Brasher has covered vocational trucking and fleets for the past five years. A graduate of The University of Alabama with a degree in journalism, Jade enjoys telling stories about the people behind the wheel and the intricate processes of the ever-evolving trucking industry.