General Motors has claimed that its 2026 Chevrolet Silverado electric vehicle (EV) work truck has broken the record for its range, going 1,059.2 miles on a full charge, despite it being EPA-estimated at up to 493 miles.
It would beat the record set by driver Umit Sabanci who drove 749 miles from St Moritz, Switzerland to Munich, Germany in a Lucid motors EV saloon in July 2025.
The firm said it initially set out to beat the record after an informal conversation by engineers turned into a desire to see how far its work truck could go if the vehicle was optimised.
The Silverado was driven over seven days along public roads near GM’s Milford Proving Ground in southeastern Michigan, US.
The engineers decided to drive the truck at a cruising speed of 20-25 mph, said to have been a realistic speed for a neighbourhood or city in the region.
The Silverado truck’s hardware and software were untouched, with the only adjustments being to the driver habits and small settings.
Some of the adjustments included: no passengers in the truck for a majority of the test, windshield wiper arms were set to the lowest acceptable position to reduce drag, and the spare tyre being removed to lighten the vehicle.
“Getting this kind of range on a full charge doesn’t happen by accident,” said Kurt Kelty, VP, battery, propulsion and sustainability. “It takes deep integration across battery chemistry, drive unit efficiency, software and vehicle engineering – and that’s exactly what the team delivered. This achievement is a great example of how far our EV technology has come, and the kind of innovation we’re building on every day at GM.”
Guinness Book of World Records has been approached for comment.
Image: (L-R) Daniel Gay and Jon Doremus, engineers who participated in the Silverado EV range record attempt, with a 3D-printed trophy made to mark the occasion. Credit: GM.
