Silverado EV Extended Range Towing Review: Can It Handle an Eastern Canada Road Trip?
- Alain Kuhn Von Kuhnenfeld
- 21 minutes ago
- 7 min read
Road trip with the Silverado EV LT Extended Range, towing with a Prolite trailer (Evasion 2025 model), which weighs with the standard equipment 1935 lb UVW, we added clothes for two adults, two kids, including toys and our camera gear, which increased the weight by another 500 lb. The mission? To find out how much juice we would burn and what kind of curveballs towing an EV trailer across Eastern Canada would throw at us. During the test, we did not make any sacrifices, meaning we maintained speeds to follow traffic, stops were made to eat, sleep and rest. This did require some small advanced planning.
Our Silverado EV LT came equipped with the Extended Range battery, 170 kWh of capacity under the floor. A bigger battery is offered on the WT Max range and on the RST Max Range with a battery size of 205 kWh. We could’ve gone with the Max Range RST and its 205 kWh pack, but opted for the middle ground, the version we believe most families would actually consider for towing. Chevrolet announces a range of 657 km, and we saw a real-life range while towing on the Hwy to be around 400km, resulting in a loss of 39.1% while towing.
Before we dive into our road trip, the Silverado EV offers a couple of options that can make towing easier, such as the Blind Zone Steering Assist and the Trailer Camera View, to make coupling even easier. In our case, we only had the basic camera, which shows you a basic view of the hitch. There is also an in-vehicle app that offers a checklist, and what has been very useful is a trailer light test to make sure all the lights work, and I could verify this without the need of a second person using the blinker for this test. Chevrolet does not recommend towing for the first 800km, and that the first 800km towing should be done at speeds below 80km/h, something we unfortunately only noticed after towing over 2000km. The vehicle we tested had a 12,500 lbs towing capacity.
We pulled into FLO’s HQ to test their new 480 kW shared charger, think of it as the Autobahn of EV juice. The Silverado locked in between 305–310 kW charging speed. Of course, we lingered longer for science (and cappuccino) demanded it. Meaning we charged up to 93% with the authorization of FLO on this test station. Keep in mind that the ideal fast charging range is between 20 to 80% and also contributes to a fair usage for all other users. However, in the name of science, for this test, we went above that. The charge station slowed down to 128 kW, which is still an impressive speed between 80 to 90%, and only once above 90% did the charging station start to slow down to a range between 70 and 80 kW speeds. However, our day wasn’t finished. We rolled into ‘Camping Lido’ mid-downpour, nothing like a wet welcome to test how fast you can set up a trailer while dodging puddles and calming hungry kids.
The next morning, we drove back to Rivière-du-Loup to get breakfast, enjoy a delicious coffee at Brûlerie Ange & Démon, if you drive by, it is a must. This also allowed us to charge the vehicle again for our next campground, this time in New Brunswick at the Mactaquac Provincial Park. This campground opens up to the St.John River, offering splendid sunrises. This was the first time we realized that the charging infrastructure outside Quebec wasn’t on par with that of New Brunswick. Charging stations are far apart and a lot slower. On the flip side, the charging rates are based on time and not kWh. Meaning if you have a vehicle that can take a lot of energy quickly, the cost of charging can be lower.
That leg between Mactaquac and Cap-Pelé? It’s what EV drivers call a white-knuckle stretch — 246 km of gorgeous but charger-scarce highway. A sign even warned: ‘No gas stations for 70 km’, ironic, since we weren’t looking for gas. It was hence important that during our lunch, we made sure the vehicle was charged back up to 80%. As this route has an allowed top speed of 110km/h, meaning traffic moves a lot faster, elevation changes occur more often, all of which increase energy consumption. Yet the Silverado EV provided a very composed energy consumption despite all these negative points. We finished this route with 2.2 km/kWh (45.45 kWh/100km), arriving with 28% thanks to a quick top-up during a bathroom break. This would be our home for the next few days, one to enjoy the beach at the Sandy Beach campground and to enjoy the lobster festival in Shediac.
Our next stop would be in another province, which would give us the chance to cross the Confederation Bridge and enter Prince Edward Island. On a detour to COWS Creamery for the best ice cream in PEI? Absolutely necessary. Strangely, the charging infrastructure in PEI was better built out, and we saw more EVs on the road. Enjoying a beautiful view of the harbour before heading back.
Our least efficient stretch of road came on our next stretch of road from Charlottetown to New Richmond, back in Quebec, with just 1.8 km/kWh (55.55 kWh/100km); this stretch of road provided even more changes of elevation. That 528 km of stretch of road would require stopping for a quick lunch in Bathurst and enjoying a local invention, fun fact: the McFlurry is a Canadian invention. So naturally, we had one for cultural preservation, of course.
After a good night’s rest, we left our trailer at our campground to drive to Perce and also review the truck’s energy consumption without a trailer. We saw an efficiency of 4km/kWh (25 kWh/100km), beating Chevrolet’s own range estimates, meaning that with a lighter load on this stretch of road, you could easily get 700km. On the way back, we stopped at Dixie Lee in Bonaventure, QC, which serves a mix of Fried Chicken and Fried seafood. Not only was it delicious, but they also offered multiple charging stations set up in a way that vehicles can also charge while towing. Offering 180kW chargers beside a restaurant is just such a smart idea. After a meal filled with fried seafood, we decided to see how far we could push the efficiency, and on the last 25km of the stretch, we think we pushed the limit to 5.2 km/kWh (19.23 kWh/100km), moving into Equinox EV efficiency. While this was hypermiling on a stretch of road that allowed it, it is not something really possible daily. That stretch of road might be one of the most beautiful roads Quebec has to offer, while it was more difficult in the past, with an EV charging station available widely and far along this road, never having to worry about not finding a level 2 charger or a ton of DC/Fast chargers.
After 7 days on the road, it was time to head back to Montreal from New Richmond QC, with an 80% charge in Carlton-Sur-Mer for a stop at the Brûlerie du Quai, where we had to decouple for the first time, and it wasn’t for charging it was so we could enjoy the delicious pastries and coffee of that location.
Our next stop was for a quick Ice Cap stop for me and a little lunch for the kids, this time in Amqui at Tim Horton’s, to charge from 54% back to 80% in 23 minutes and 5 seconds. This would permit us to avoid having to charge during a little walk on the waterfront of the St Lawrence River and to maybe enjoy the best Shrimp Poutine out there at the Cantine Ste-Flavie, almost as many shrimps as there were fries. To end that day, we stopped at our last campground at the Camping Municipal De Trois Pistoles, finishing with 44%.
With our last stretch to Montreal being around 500km, and no worries with the amount of range we would arrive with we would be able to fully charge the vehicle at home at a cost of $12.50 to charge 125kW out of the 175kW has, hence we decided only to make one stop back home which is not included in our total chargin cost, we specifically chose this station as it offers new charging stations specifically made for EVs while towing.
Total trip cost: $575.08 in fast charging. That’s nearly half what we would’ve paid in gas with a V8, and we didn’t once have to smell diesel. Yes, it comes with a time penalty of an average charging session of 1 hour and 45 minutes per day during our trip. However, these were planned to be food, bathroom breaks and visiting beaches, monuments and activities along our road trip.
The average energy consumption for this road trip was 2.3 km/kWh, which converts to 43.48 kWh/100km over 3616 km, with a total energy consumption of 1572 kW during this 10-day road trip. Is it possible to take an EV on a road trip around parts of eastern Canada, and be time-constrained? Yes, with little organization and factoring in kids activities, it is possible. It was a lot easier thanks to the large battery of the Silverado EV; however, we did see Ford Lightning towing to campgrounds as well, with 39 kWh less than the biggest Silverado battery (vs. 170 kWh), and the Lightning’s standard battery is 98 kWh (significantly less than 72 kWh).” (Clarify the comparison point and correct the standard Lightning battery size). Chevrolet even offers a 205 kWh battery, which would have made this trip even easier. GM offers an 8-year warranty on the battery or 160000km, which should help anyone doubting the longevity of batteries or concerned about the cost associated with changing them.
🔋 Vehicle Setup & Consumption
Battery: 170 kWh (Extended Range)
Trailer: Prolite Classic, approx. 2500 lbs loaded
Average Consumption: 43.48 kWh/100 km
Total Energy Used: 1569 kWh for 3616 km
Real-World Range (towing): ~400 km per full charge
Charging Cost (fast charging only): $575.08
Was it worth it? Absolutely. Between the lobster rolls, stormy setups, and seeing the kids pass out after a beach day, the Silverado EV pulled it all off quietly, efficiently, and with just a hint of electric swagger.
Disclaimer: Chevrolet and Prolite have lent us the vehicle and trailer as a press loan. We have no affiliation with Chevrolet Canada and Prolite. The above reflects our personal opinion of the cars referred to above.
