GMC has unveiled the 2024 GMC Sierra EV Denali Edition 1, marking the debut of its latest electric truck based on the GM Ultium architecture used for a growing range of electric vehicles in various sizes and categories. While most of these models have yet to hit the road, GMC’s announcements continue, and this week, they showcased handmade prototypes of what will be the first in a variety of Sierra EV versions coming to the market by late the 2025 model year.
The Denali Edition 1 will be the sole model for the GMC Sierra EV in the 2024 model year, priced at around $107,000 with an EPA-rated range of at least 400 miles. Deliveries for the Denali Edition 1 will begin “early in 2024,” followed for the 2025 model year by an off-road-inspired AT4 model with a two-inch lift and a base Elevation trim. Eventually, the base Elevation model’s starting price will be around $50,000, according to GMC, but not until demand for the top-end Sierra EV models has been met.
GMC released selected specifications for the 2024 truck, including 754 hp and 785 lb-ft of torque in “Max Power” mode, providing acceleration times of 0 to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds. (The Sierra EV will not have the Hummer’s “Watts To Freedom” or WTF launch acceleration mode.) It will charge rapidly up to 350 kW, meaning users can add 100 miles of range in 10 minutes under specific optimal circumstances. It will also be the first GM electric vehicle without a “Push to Start” button; it will turn on automatically when a driver sits down, according to the chief engineer.
It’s safe to assume that the truck will use the Hummer EV battery pack, or a very similar one, as it charges at 350 kW using a series/parallel switch to connect two 400-volt packs to enable 800-volt charging. If a 9,400-lb Hummer EV is EPA-rated for 329 miles, a Sierra EV weighing perhaps three tons should cover 400 miles with the same 212.7 kWh of usable energy.
The trucks will be built at GM’s “Factory Zero” (formerly Detroit-Hamtramck), with additional production capacity coming later from the Orion Assembly plant in Michigan, which currently produces the Chevrolet Bolt electric hatchbacks, GM’s only high-volume electric vehicles this year.
