2025 GMC Sierra EV Denali first look: more (460!) miles and power
GMC’s third EV truck, if you count the Hummer and the Hummer SUV as two separate trucks, is the Sierra EV. The luxury pickup debuted as a $100K 2024 model 1 last year and got some modest upgrades for 2025. GMC flew us to the hills above Silicon Valley to check it out.
The GMC Sierra EV Denali shares the same platform as the Chevy Silverado and, to a lesser extent, the GMC Hummer. Chief among these is the industry-leading 205+kWh battery pack. That’s around 50% more than most of the competition, making these vehicles the only game in town when it comes to towing heavy stuff long distances without having to recharge often. Add to that the ability to use Super Cruise while trailering, Active Air suspension, 4-wheel steering and the Sierra EV is your trailering EV king.
New for 2025, the Sierra EV Denali has a whopping 460-mile range, up from 440 miles in the 2024 model. GMC is still using the same battery packs, but has more efficient motors and software this time around. GMC is also offering a 390-mile “Extended Range” variety for $92K. Sierra EV AT4 and Elevation are expected to be available the first half of 2025, pricing will be announced closer to launch.
Even with a huge trailer, that’s still over 200+ miles of range or around 3 hours of driving time. The Sierra EV Denali will also use all of those 350+kW charging stations and can add miles as fast as 100 miles in 10 minutes. We’ve seen charging speeds in excess of 360kW which if you divide the 200kWh pack in half seems reasonably fast 180kW for each 100kWh sub-pack. Charging from 10%-80% takes about 45 minutes so that’s adding 322 miles in a bathroom/food stop.
2025 GMC Sierra EV Denali experience
GMC had a really nice course for us to take out to Half Moon Bay from Menlo Park with a beautiful stop at a mountain winery and then a horse farm for some competitive trials.
The big takeaway is that range anxiety is non-existent when you start the day with 460 miles, even when driving most of the day over mountains. In fact, I’d say that 460 miles is conservative and even driving to LAX from San Francisco is possible according to the Google-powered navigation system. This 760 horsepower and 785 lb-ft of torque in Max Power mode vehicle goes 0-60 in 4.5 seconds as well. Even with a huge trailer, getting on the highway is easy. In fact, it is easy to forget you are even trailering, especially with the Supercruise.
While we were doing the Crab Walk time trials and seeing how much stuff we could stuff into the MultiPro MidGate expandable bed trucks, I couldn’t get my mind off of the Airstream camper display that was fully powered by the Sierra EV and could stay that way for days and even weeks. I’d recommend that every GMC dealer in the country get a camper to power since this is a great selling point of this vehicle and, I guess, the Hummer too.
Camping might be the biggest advantage of the 205kWh battery pack. Sure you can tow much further but you can also stay camping for much longer with that huge battery pack and 30A/240V output. I imagine people who don’t want to be tied to a powered camping site would love this option. Add some solar and you really could live off grid forever with this thing.
And speaking of power, GM showed off its GM Energy PowerBank which is the company’s answer to Tesla’s Powerwall system. It is available now and can be part of the Sierra purchase.
The one thing I had a problem with was the switchover time when the power went out, which was about 4-5 seconds. My Powerwall system, when it goes off Grid/Islanding, is almost instantaneous to the point where I don’t even notice it and clocks and computers don’t even reset. GM said it is working on reducing the time to switch over to off-grid when the power goes out but didn’t make any promises that an instantaneous switchover would be possible.
The great thing about this system is that the monster 205kWh battery pack inside the Sierra is integrated and can provide power for weeks. In fact, you could provide power forever if you took the truck to a fast charger every week or so and brought it back to power the house and recharge the batteries. Solar integration is also possible but wasn’t demonstrated.
Electrek’s take:
The spec sheet for the GMC Sierra EV Denali is pretty impressive:
- 760 horsepower and 785 lb-ft of torque in Max Power mode (4.5 sec 0-60)
- 800 Volt DC public fast charging-capable at up to 350kW, enabling up to 100 miles of range in approximately 10 minutes
- Air Ride Adaptive Suspension, which provides the ability to raise or lower the truck by about 2 inches, while also offering a more comfortable ride
- The MultiPro MidGate expandable bed, which offers room for hauling items nearly 11 feet in length, while still leaving room for a rear-seat passenger
- Available 10,500 pounds max towing
Sure it is a luxury version of the Chevy Sierra but if you are already dropping $70+k on a 205kWh pickup truck you might as well get air suspension, 4-wheel steering/crabwalk and a gorgeous luxury interior for 20% more.
My only complaint about this thing would be that you could probably build 3-4 EVs or 10 PHEVs with this battery and that might be a little better for the planet. The lack of Carplay/Android Auto is almost entirely mitigated by the inclusion of most apps I use (Spotify, Google Maps, etc).
My big takeaway from this trip was that the pinnacle of pickup truck luxury is this Sierra EV Denali. Inside and out, it has top-rated specs and performance. Nothing comes close to that 205kWh battery pack, which, for range and powering electric, means the only competition are GMC’s sister vehicles, the Silverado and Hummer EV.
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A new, all electric Peterbilt 579EV is in-service at Honda’s Lincoln, Alabama assembly plant, where it’s busy transporting newly-built Honda cars from the plant to a nearby railhead for shipment to dealers across the country.
Part of a pilot program between Honda, Alabama Power, and Virginia Transportation Corp., the new electric semi truck will help stakeholders gather data about the practicality and performance of the battery-powered Pete and use it to generate case studies for broader electrification initiatives. Other supporters of the pilot project include the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition and, of course, Peterbilt.
“We remain committed to delivering for our customers and the environment,” offered Leo Doire, owner and CEO of Virginia Transportation Corp. “Our new Peterbilt 579EV model will be tested to determine how well it performs against the high productivity demands of our operations. The partners we have at the table will help us maximize this opportunity and prepare to scale up if we get the results we are hoping for.”
The truck itself has been spec’ed to be perfect for the kind of short haul and drayage applications Honda has in mind. This particular Peterbilt 579EV is fitted with PACCAR’s 400 kWh battery and a 670 hp electric motor good for an impressive 2,050 lb-ft of peak torque at 0 rpm.
The truck offers 150 miles of operating range and can be charged in about 3 hours on a 120 kW charger installed specifically for that purpose. A charger, it should be noted, that was partially paid for by Alabama Power.
“Alabama Power’s ‘Make Ready’ program provides businesses with valuable rebates to help reduce the upfront costs of installing EV infrastructure,” says Alabama Power Electric Transportation Manager Hasin Gandhakwala. “We are committed to partnering with customers who are exploring state and federal grant opportunities. Alabama Power is dedicated to advancing EV technologies to better serve the needs of our customers.”
The electric semi is a continuation of a decarbonization project Honda initiated in 2011, when the company recruited Virginia Transport Corp. to help find ways to reduce emissions at its Alabama facilities. VTC’s efforts have led to changes that displaced more than 475,000 gallons of diesel in 2023 alone.
Electrek’s Take
With the big Pete’s 82,000 lb. GVWR and 150 miles of range between charging sessions, it seems like these guys will be making a lot of back-and-forth runs between the Honda plant and the CSX terminal to me. Here’s hoping they see the benefits of electrifying the rest of their vehicle transport fleets somewhat sooner than later.
SOURCE | IMAGES: Alabama Power.
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On today’s episode of Quick Charge, we’ve got big solar breaking ground all over, despite the incoming administration’s supposed lack of love for home-grown clean energy. Our guests today walk us through home solar, energy storage, and more.
Today’s episode is sponsored by BLUETTI, a leading provider of portable power stations, solar generators, and energy storage systems. For a limited time, save up to 52% during BLUETTI’s exclusive Black Friday sale, now through November 28, and be sure to use promo code BLUETTI5OFF for 5% off all power stations sitewide. Learn more by clicking here.
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Read more: Saldivar’s Trucking: first owner-operator to deploy Volvo VNR Electric semi.
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Tesla is now using ‘Tesla Electric’, its electric utility service in Texas, to help sell cars with a new incentive.
After gaining experience through its virtual power plants (VPPs), Tesla took things a step further with the launch of “Tesla Electric” back in 2022.
Instead of reacting to specific “events” and providing services to your local electric utilities, as Tesla Powerwall owners have done in VPPs in California, Australia, and a few other markets, Tesla Electric is actively and automatically buying and selling electricity for Tesla Powerwall owners – providing a buffer against peak prices.
The company is essentially becoming an energy retailer.
Tesla Electric is currently only available to Powerwall owners in Texas and the UK, but the company has plans to expand its products through this new division.
The company has been growing its Tesla Electric userbase in Texas and now it plans to use it to help sell cars.
Tesla has two different plans under the program:
| Feature | Tesla Electric Fixed Plan | Tesla Electric Dynamic Plan |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing Structure | Competitive fixed rate for electricity, with a discounted rate during low-cost hours. | Competitive variable rate, with higher rates during peak demand periods. |
| Contract Term | 12-month commitment. | Month-to-month flexibility. |
| Unlimited Vehicle Charging | Available for an additional $15/month per vehicle, allowing unlimited charging. | Available for an additional $25/month per vehicle, allowing unlimited charging. |
| Powerwall Credits | Earn $400 credit per year per Powerwall by participating in the Tesla Virtual Power Plant, with Tesla managing the Powerwall to share energy with the grid when needed. | Earn $120 credit per year per Powerwall by participating in the Tesla Virtual Power Plant, with the customer managing the Powerwall to optimize earnings. |
| Energy Sharing with Grid | Sell energy back to the grid at a fixed rate per kWh. | Sell energy back to the grid at 90% of the real-time market price per kWh. |
The first one enable you to charge your electric car for just $15 a month.
With this new incentive, Tesla is brining that down to $5 a month for a year for people who take delivery by the end of the year:
Get $5/mo Unlimited Overnight Charging With Tesla
To get unlimited overnight charging for $5 per month per vehicle for a full year, you must complete the following steps by December 31, 2024:
- Order and take delivery of a new Tesla vehicle
- Sign up for the Tesla Electric Fixed Plan
To be eligible, you need to live in an area of Texas that allows you to choose your electricity provider, be a new Tesla Electric member and take delivery of a new Tesla vehicle. Promotion is subject to change at any time.
This appear to be part of Tesla’s effort to deliver a record number of more than 515,000 vehicles in Q4 in order for its annual deliveries not to be down for the full year.
ver the last few weeks, we have been reporting on a series of sale incentives that Tesla has put in place to make sure it has the demand to achieve this record quarter.
In Europe, it includes a year of free Supercharging and heavy discounts.
In the US, there are also good inventory discounts, 3 months of free Supercharger and FSD, FSD transfer, and more.
And everywhere, Tesla is heavily subsidizing loans with lower interest rates.
But it’s the first time that Tesla is using such a targeted incentive, at the state level, and using its Tesla Electric program.
It’s interesting.
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