When General Motors first unveiled the Chevy Silverado EV earlier this year, one thing was certain: the GMC Sierra EV wouldn’t be too far behind. The two trucks have pretty much been twins throughout the years. But now, GMC wants to change that. Friends, I give you the 2024 GMC Sierra EV Denali Edition 1. While it’s a close cousin to the all-electric Silverado, it’s here to change the way you think about GMC.
2024 GMC Sierra EV Denali From the Outside
The first thing you notice about the Sierra EV is the size. GMC isn’t revealing exact exterior dimensions until the vehicle is closer to production, but we can make a few assumptions based on the Silverado EV, which is 233 inches long and 76 inches tall. We don’t have an official width measurement, but since the Chevy and GMC electric pickups don’t have DOT-required marker lights, it’s safe to assume the twins are less than 80 inches wide, though probably not by much.
Unlike GMC’s other electric pickup, the Hummer EV, the Sierra gets a somewhat more useful bed that measures 5’11” with the tailgate closed. As with the Silverado EV, the GMC gets GM’s MultiPro Midgate, which lets you flip down the back seats and open the rear wall of the passenger compartment to create a 9’1” bed. If that’s still not enough, you can configure the MultiPro tailgate to extend the bed floor to 10’10”.
Up front, the Sierra EV has a big faux grille, illuminated around its outer rim. Within it is a very large, illuminated GMC badge. Flanking the grille are some really large LED running lights that greet you when you walk up to the vehicle. You may be fooled into thinking those are the headlights, but they’re not. The actual headlights are housed in small openings right below the DRLs.
Pop the hood, and you’re welcomed by a massive frunk, just like you’d find on the Silverado EV or Ford F-150 Lightning. All in all, it’s a very brawny piece of equipment. A GM spokesperson described it to me as “a fist flying through the air.”
From the side, the Sierra EV has a relatively simple design, with a few flowing character lines that break up the bulk. GM says all of the Sierra’s sheetmetal is unique from the Silverado EV, but the two look very similar.
Above the wheel arches are amber LED lights, which a GMC representative told me are a new design staple for the brand. They’re not federally required, but customers like them, so GMC added them.
All that being said, the most notable thing about the Sierra EV is the massive 24-inch rims with available 35-inch tires. GM’s electric pickup truck twins will be the first production vehicles to offer 24s from the factory, though 22s will also be available if you’re a loser.
2024 GMC Sierra EV Denali: Tech and Power
We haven’t driven the Sierra EV yet, but according to GM’s estimates, this is going to be one fast truck. With two motors and GM’s Ultium battery platform, the Sierra EV will produce a total of 754 horsepower and 356 kg-ft of torque in “Max Power Mode,” enough to get this massive thing from 0-60 in under 4.5 seconds according to GM.
The Denali rides on adaptive air suspension that can raise or lower the truck by as much as 2 inches, and offers four-wheel steering with “Crab Walk,” which angles all four wheels so the truck can drive diagonally. GMC says the Sierra EV will tow up to 9,500 pounds, and haul a payload of up to 1,300 pounds, besting the electric Ford F-150 Lightning by 816 kg on towing, but falling short of the Ford’s 1,014 kg payload rating.
Despite the fact the Sierra EV is a “fist flying through the air,” it still manages a GM-estimated 644 km of range on a full charge. That beats the Lightning’s 483 km EPA-estimated range, though the EPA has not published final figures for the GMC just yet.
The Sierra EV will be equipped for 250-kW DC fast charging, able to add up to 100 miles of range in just 10 minutes. Like the F-150 Lightning and Chevy Silverado EV, you’ll be able to plug electrical equipment into the Sierra EV, or even use it to power your house during a utility outage.
Like all current high-end GM vehicles, this fella comes with Super Cruise, an excellent advanced driver-assistance program that I love very much. This version is even trailer-capable, a feature shared with GM’s current generation of pickup trucks.
2024 GMC Sierra EV Denali: Interior
The interior really seems to have been the focal point for GM designers working on the Sierra EV. It’s dominated by two very large screens: a 16.8-inch Google-powered vertical display in the centre of the dash and an 11-inch horizontal screen for the gauge cluster. The GMC also has a 14-inch multi-colour heads-up display that projects onto the windshield.
Soft leather and open-pore wood can be found throughout the interior. You’ve got other niceties, too, like wireless phone charging and laser-etched stainless steel trim. If you look up you’ll see a full panoramic roof. One thing the Sierra EV doesn’t have is a starter button. Simply get in the vehicle, put your foot on the brake, shift into Drive and get going. When you get out, the vehicle turns itself off. It’s pretty nifty, if you ask me.
2024 GMC Sierra EV: Everything Else
Reservations for the 2024 GMC Sierra EV are now open, with production set to begin soon at GM’s Factory Zero – the company’s first dedicated EV production facility, located in Detroit. Electric GMCs should begin arriving at dealers in early 2024.
At the start, GMC will only offer fully-loaded Sierra EV Edition 1 models, with an eye-popping starting price of $US107,000. That’s mighty steep for a pickup truck, but GMC says lower-tier Sierra EVs, like the AT4 and Elevated trims, will start around $US50,000, a bit more in line with the F-150 Lightning.
So, GMC now has three entrants in the EV truck space: The Hummer SUV and pickup, and the Sierra EV. When this truck hits dealers next year, we’ll start to see the electric truck market really heat up.