How far can an EV potentially travel on a charge? The answer seems to be: “farther and farther every year.”

GM engineers recently set what they say is a new world record for EV range. A 2026 Chevrolet Silverado EV Work Truck achieved 1,059.2 miles on a full charge, surpassing Lucid’s previous record of 749 miles.

The Silverado EV WT has an EPA-estimated range of 493 miles. GM’s engineers set out to squeeze out every possible mile by optimizing the vehicle for efficiency. Over 7 days, some 40 engineers drove a Silverado on public roads near GM’s Milford Proving Ground and Detroit’s Belle Isle. They made no modifications to the truck’s drivetrain or software, but made only “replicable adjustments well within the real-world capability of Silverado EV owners.”

That said, this was an experiment, not a prescription for maximizing range in real-world driving. The testers drove at a maximum speed of 25 mph. The test was made in summer (for the optimum ambient temperature for battery efficiency), with climate control turned off. Tires were inflated to their highest workable pressure, the spare tire was removed, and a tonneau cover was added to improve airflow.

Could you double your EV’s range by driving really slow with the AC off? EV geeks will doubtless have fun trying, but the real point of GM’s test (in addition to getting a tremendous amount of publicity) was to “provide valuable insights for future product development.”

Check out our review of the GMC Sierra EV Denali Max Range.

Source: GM