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Chevy's latest Silverado videos assume we're idiots

UPDATE: This article has been revised to reflect that any mention of materials used in a future Chevrolet Silverado is speculation. Can we have a sound, rational debate about the merits of aluminum versus steel? According to Chevrolet's latest marketing videos pitting the Silverado against the Ford F-150, the answer is no. The tone of all three ads is almost Orwellian: steel good, aluminum bad. Of course, this will all be a hilarious joke when an aluminum-bodied Silverado comes in 2018. That's an if, as a member of the General Motor public relations team has reminded me that any articles regarding future product are pure speculation. Until then Chevy needs to sell the current Silverado, with its body comprised chiefly of steel, against the Ford F-150's lightweight aluminum panels. Instead of touting the merits of the "most-dependable, longest lasting pickup," the strategy seems to center around negative propaganda towards the 13th element. The tone of all three ads is almost Orwellian: steel good, aluminum bad. Of the three videos, the most fair is Silverado vs. F-150 Repair Costs and Time: Howie Long Head to Head. Basically: aluminum costs more than steel, it's more difficult to repair, and requires special equipment for body shops. In terms of Chevy versus Ford, the blue oval truck costs more and takes longer to repair - an average of $1,755 more and 34 more days in the shop, according to the ad. But why stop there when you can have pitchman Howie Long raising an eyebrow at random facts? When Silverado Chief Engineer Eric Stanczak says of the Ford, "It's manufactured in a way that combines aluminum, rivets, and adhesive in a process that's different than Silverado." Long responds, "Huh. Interesting." At the end of the video, Long says "I'd be interested to know what happens to insurance costs." Note he's not saying anything substantive. If Chevy's legal team could sign off on some facts about insurance rates, it would be in this ad. On our Autoblog Cost to Own calculator, there is no significant difference in projected insurance costs between the two trucks. But at least that ad has facts. The other two videos are pure hype. In Cages: High Stength Steel, real people are asked what they think of aluminum and steel in a room with two cages. Then a bear is released into the room, and the subjects scurry to the safety of the steel cage.

Electric pickups compared: 2025 Ram 1500 REV specs vs. Silverado EV, F-150 Lightning

Now that the 2025 Ram 1500 REV has been revealed, along with its most important specifications, we now have information on all of the mainline Big 3 electric full-size pickup trucks. So it's time to see how the numbers stack up, because trucks are all about numbers. We'll see how the Ram compares to the power, battery capacity, payload, towing and other features of the 2024 Chevy Silverado EV and the 2024 Ford F-150 Lightning. Power and torque The Ram has just one powertrain option. It features two electric motors making 654 horsepower and 620 pound-feet. That gives it the most powerful standard powertrain, if not the most torque, as the Chevy Silverado EV has 510 horsepower and 615 pound-feet of torque, while the F-150 Lighting has 452 horsepower and 775 pound-feet. But the Chevy and Ford each have upgraded motor combinations. The Silverado is the most potent with 754 horsepower and 785 pound-feet, and the F-150 has 580 horsepower and 775 pound-feet. The GMC Sierra EV will also be available with this more powerful pair of motors, and most of its specifications will be the same as the Silverado. There are a couple of exceptions which we'll note when they come up. All three trucks come standard with dual motors and all-wheel drive, regardless of output, battery or trim level. They're all available with locking rear differentials, too. Ford F-150 Lightning front low View 48 Photos Battery, range and charging The Ram is packing some serious packs of batteries. The standard model gets 168 kWh and an estimated range of 350 miles. And the optional 229-kWh pack is estimated to deliver 500 miles of range. That's more capacity and range than the others. It also boasts an 800-volt battery system that allows for close to 350-kW charging. The Ford F-150 Lightning has a base battery of 98 kWh with a range around 230 miles. Optional is a 131-kWh pack with between 300 and 330 miles of range, depending on other vehicle specifications. It's the slowest charger, only allowing 150-kW charging maximum. The Silverado EV's battery specs are a bit nebulous. At launch, it will only be available with one battery pack option that GM claims will provide around 400 miles of range. The company didn't give an exact capacity, though. We would guess its size falls between the Ram's 168 and 229 kWh packs. A smaller battery pack will be offered later, with a shorter but unknown range. The Silverado can use 350-kW fast charging like the Ram.

Meet Alex Archer, the engineer behind GM's power-sliding center console

In 2009, a GM manager complained to a 59-year-old GM technician about the hassle of retrieving items from a pickup truck bed after driving shifted the cargo. In two days, the tech had come up with the ideas that, ten years later, would debut as the MultiPro tailgate. The engineering teams kept the tailgate secret in part by hiding mock-ups in a locked storage closet in GM's Vehicle Engineering Center in Warren Michigan for two years. A piece in the Detroit Free Press reveals that another storage closet in Warren would play the same role in a different cloak-and-dagger operation, this time for the power-sliding center console in GM's new full-sized SUVs. During a meeting in early 2017, bosses gave the job of the console's creation to 24-year-old design release engineer Alex Archer, just two years out of Stanford University with a degree in engineering and product design.  This time, the catalyst for the feature was an internal GM think tank called co:lab, where employees suggest ideas. Execs gave Archer the task because "They needed someone willing to ask a lot of questions," her 36-month mandate to produce a six-way console that could be a standard cubby or a gaping maw able to swallow four gallon jugs or hide a secret compartment. Clearly, she succeeded. It took Archer and the team nine months to devise a prototype, another six months to get the green light for production. As with the tailgate, the team working on the console grew to include designers, production engineers, and suppliers. Archer, now 26, shepherded the process, and her name is on the patent. "It took a ton of people, I'm just somebody who stuck with it the whole time," she said. GM like her work well enough to produce the "Day in the Life" segment above, five months before the world would hear about the console. Archer's path to engineering was as unlikely as getting the job for the console. She had entered Stanford with plans to be a doctor. But an innovation class during her freshman year, and a sophomore summer spent helping her grandfather rebuild a 1937 MG engine recharted her course. Her grandfather told her, "You know, you could be an engineer for a car company." Consumer reaction to Archer's work won't be far off, the SUVs slated to hit dealerships soon. Meanwhile, she's busy on something that could be just as intense as the console: Restoring a 1955 Packard Clipper in her garage. Head to Freep to check out the story of Archer and the console. Related Video: