Chevy Silverado EV WT vs. Ford F-150 Lightning Pro: Electric work trucks compared
With pricing information for the 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV Work Truck (WT) trickling out ahead of its planned launch, it’s time for an initial comparison with the rival Ford F-150 Lightning Pro, simply by price and range.
Both the Silverado EV WT and Lightning Pro are aimed at fleet customers rather than retail buyers, addressing an important part of the market for current gasoline pickups. The Silverado EV was first shown at CES in January 2022 in Las Vegas, but last week Chevy confirmed that the WT version is still on track for its scheduled launch later this spring, while also announcing range estimates.
In a bit of further news, Chevrolet clarified that some, but not all, of the WT trucks will be available to retail buyers. The Silverado EV WT will be available in 350-mile and 450-mile configurations priced from $74,800 and $79,800, respectively (both prices include destination), but those will be fleet-only models not available to retail customers, Chevrolet spokesperson Shad Balch confirmed to EV kind of cars. Meanwhile, the entry-level WT model with a smaller battery pack and $39,900 base price will be available to retail customers, as disclosed at the reveal of the 2024 Chevy Silverado EV, in 2022.
For now, retail customers who want the top spec will need to pony up $106,895 for the Silverado EV RST First Edition. While other lower specs may have the long range eventually, they’ll leave non-fleet customers with a limited array of choices for some time.
2023 Ford F-150 Lightning
The F-150 Lightning Pro remains the least-expensive version of Ford’s electric pickup. Pricing for the 2024 Lighting Pro isn’t out yet, but the Lightning got a huge price hike for the 2023 model year that brought the starting price to $53,769 with destination. That’s $12,100 more than the equivalent 2022 model.
Ford announced that it will end EV markups and haggling for retail customers with new dealer arrangements that start in January 2024, but Chevy hasn’t made a comparable policy for its dealerships.
Ram 1500 REV
Lightning Pro models also got a range boost for the 2023 model year, from an EPA-rated 230 miles to 240 miles. That’s with the smaller 98-kwh battery pack, which is the only pack available on the Pro grade for 2023. Other versions are available with a 131-kwh pack that enables 320 miles of range, a number that remained unchanged for 2023.
A third electric work-truck entry is on the way in the form of the 2025 Ram 1500 REV. Ram is targeting 500 miles of range for some versions of the truck, using a massive 229-kwh battery pack, although it’s unclear where these models will sit in the pricing hierarchy.
A more affordable, work-oriented Tradesman version of the Ram 1500 REV electric truck will also be offered, and Ram says that it will be widely available, not only to fleet and work buyers. That could work out to be a key difference in accessibility for those who simply want a basic electric truck.
Electric cars news.