- Chevy is taking the Silverado EV off-road racing in concept form
- The concept gets the ZR2 nameplate along with the Hummer EV’s powertrain, trick shocks, big tires, and skid plates
- A production variant is feasible and quite likely in the future
General Motors is looking to drum up interest in an upcoming off-road variant of the Chevrolet Silverado EV with a race-truck concept.
Unveiled Wednesday, the Chevrolet Silverado EV ZR2 will compete in the Mint 400 off-road race in Nevada, in the Open Production EV class. This class is for modified production vehicles, and while GM claims in a press release that the Silverado EV ZR2 uses 98% production parts, it’s not quite like what customers can buy right now.
Chevy uses the ZR2 designation for the more capable off-road versions of the internal-combustion Silverado and Colorado pickups, and in keeping with that the concept race truck features lifted suspension with dampers from Canadian firm Multimatic (which supplies dampers for the production ZR2 trucks), locking differentials, skid plates, and 37-inch BF Goodrich KM3 Mud Terrain tires.
Chevrolet Silverado EV ZR2 race truck concept
In place of the production Silverado EV’s dual-motor all-wheel-drive powertrain, the concept features a tri-motor setup rated at 1,100 hp. It’s likely the same powertrain used in top versions of the GMC Hummer EV. The Silverado EV and Hummer EV are based on the same architecture, and GM has quoted similar output figures for the tri-motor Hummer powertrain.
Even with four-digit horsepower, the Silverado EV ZR2 is somewhat tamer than other electric off-road concepts we’ve seen recently. Audi fitted a set of portal axles to a concept version of its Q6 E-Tron crossover, while the Genesis GV60 Mountain Intervention Vehicle rides on tank-like tracks. But Chevy’s concept will actually compete in the Mint 400, a two-day, 400-mile desert endurance test.
Chevy isn’t discussing a production version of the Silverado EV ZR2 at the moment, but it will launch an off-road oriented Silverado EV Trail Boss grade for the 2026 model year. The Trail Boss will have a factory lift kit, 35-inch all-terrain tires on 18-inch wheels, and a Terrain Mode that provides increased maneuverability in tight spaces, according to Chevy. Such a truck will be right at home on the off-road trails of Moab, Utah, where Electrify America last year opened fast chargers that operate at the Silverado EV’s full 350-kw power rate.
