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Electric Silverado to bow at CES, while next-gen Cadillacs will take the wheel

GM's Lightning-fighter will appear in January, while Super Cruise gets an upgrade to "Ultra"

Matthew Guy
Oct 06, 2021  •  October 6, 2021  •  2 minute read  •  Join the conversation
Chevrolet Silverado EV to make global debut at CES 2022. The Silverado EV will feature an available segment-leading fixed-glass roof for retail models. Simulated vehicle shown. Actual production model may vary. Initial availability to be announced at a later date.
Chevrolet Silverado EV to make global debut at CES 2022. The Silverado EV will feature an available segment-leading fixed-glass roof for retail models. Simulated vehicle shown. Actual production model may vary. Initial availability to be announced at a later date.

Calling it part of the company’s plan to transform itself from ‘automaker to platform innovator’, General Motors early October unveiled several pieces of its forward-looking technology and all-electric puzzle. Two of the most interesting to gearheads? Timelines for the Silverado EV; and an expansion of the semi-autonomous Super Cruise.

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First out of the gate, GM will use the Consumer Electronics Show next January in Las Vegas to debut the all-electric Silverado. Calling this annual soirée the world’s most influential technology event, the company reconfirmed it will indeed have an answer to Ford’s new all-electric F-150 Lightning, and soon.

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Chevrolet says the Silverado EV was designed as an EV from the ground up, harnessing GM’s Ultium platform. This strongly suggests the truck will be a variant of GMC’s all-electric Hummer instead of an internal-combustion Silverado with its oily guts replaced with a raft of batteries.

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Chevy also confirmed the availability of four-wheel steer on Silverado EV, further aligning it with the Hummer. GM pegs a range in excess of 600 kilometres on a full charge, presumably with the model’s largest available battery.

The company also showed the truck’s fixed-glass roof as part of a brief teaser, calling the available pane of glass a ‘segment-leading’ option that will increase headroom and enhance cabin spaciousness. Like the Ford, there will be fleet and retail variants of the electric Silverado, presumably separated by a marked difference in feature count and starting price.

Ultra Cruise will ultimately enable door-to-door hands-free driving on all public paved roads in the U.S. and Canada.
Ultra Cruise will ultimately enable door-to-door hands-free driving on all public paved roads in the U.S. and Canada.

Elsewhere in GM’s tech efforts, announcements have been made about the evolution of Super Cruise, a semi-autonomous driving aid first seen on Cadillac vehicles and since spreading to other machines in the company’s lineup. Now called “Ultra Cruise,” GM says it will ultimately enable hands-free driving in 95 per cent of all driving scenarios, and be able to be used on every paved road in the U.S. and Canada.

Ultra Cruise will apparently cover more than 3.2 million kilometres of roads at launch in the United States and Canada, with the capacity to grow up to more than 5.4 million kilometres. The company asserts users will be able to travel truly hands-free with Ultra Cruise across nearly every road including city streets, subdivision streets, and paved rural roads. This is in addition to Super Cruise’s current abilities on divided highways.

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