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Here’s Why The Chevrolet E-10 Is So Slow

Last week, we wrote about the Chevrolet E-10, the Bow Tie brand’s new all-electric pickup truck concept. Making its grand entrance at this year’s SEMA Show in Las Vegas, we said the E-10 is a huge moment for performance – and it is. It’s a clever implementation of GM’s EV technology that manages to create a whole new segment, and it’s a pretty nice hunk of eye candy to boot. That said, there’s one glaring problem with the E-10’s spec sheet – it’s slow.

Granted, terms like “slow” and “fast” are hugely subjective, especially these days given how cheap and plentiful horsepower is. That said, in the rarified company of SEMA, the Chevrolet E-10’s five-second 0-to-60 mph time and high-13-second quarter mile is, well, kinda slow.

But there’s a reason for that. Simply put, weight is to blame. When it comes to the killjoys of the automotive sphere, weight has to be one of the most egregious offenders, and considering the new all-electric technology on offer with the Chevrolet E-10 Concept, we aren’t terribly surprised.

According to the director of Performance Variants, Parts and Motorsports at General Motors, Russ O’Blenes, the Chevrolet E-10 weighs “just over 6,000 pounds.” That’s a lot of heft – so much, in fact, the build required that the Chevy C-10 donor truck receive a reinforced frame to carry it all.

Taking a peek in the bed of the Chevrolet E-10, things start to become clear. Providing the juice are two 400-volt batteries, which feed two Chevrolet Performance concept electric crate motors and a SuperMatic 4L75-E automatic transmission. The setup makes 450 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque, which are solid numbers, but with 6,000 pounds to motivate, the final speed numbers look a little sluggish.

That said, we’ll give credit where credit is due. This thing is still just a concept, and with GM doubling down on its electric vehicle focus, the technology is sure to improve. What’s more, strip it all down, and the tech can be very effective, as evidenced by the eCOPO Camaro dragster concept we saw last year. Now, we just have to wait for GM to start chipping away at that weight problem, and the fun is sure to follow.

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Jonathan is an automotive journalist based out of Southern California. He loves anything and everything on four wheels.

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  1. Better batteries are needed.

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