New GM Defense Prototype Is an Electric Silverado HD ZR2 With Diesel Range Extender

GM Defense wants to offer United States soldiers a stealthier way of getting around combat zones. At its core, the Next Gen tactical vehicle is a heavily modified Chevrolet Silverado 2500 ZR2 with a ton of armor. However, unlike the off-road truck civilians can buy, this one runs on electricity supplied by a battery and diesel generator.

Powering GM’s new tactical vehicle are two electric motors—one at each axle—with a 12-module battery pack wired up. A 2.8-liter Duramax turbo-diesel keeps the batteries juiced, making this like a military-grade Chevrolet Volt. While GM Defense didn’t provide any power specs, it should be enough to haul the bespoke armored body, up to six passengers, and all of the gear that military personnel might need.

And because it’s based on the ZR2 model, it gets all of GM’s best four-wheeling upgrades like Multimatic DSSV shocks.

With its electrified powertrain and diesel range extender, GM Defense claims the new tactical vehicle has improved range and mission duration versus its traditional counterpart. It also reduces fuel-supply logistics and still uses the same JP8 fuel as most other military vehicles, so it fits into the current fuel infrastructure.

Most importantly, though, GM Defense’s new electrified pickup is much harder to detect than traditional military vehicles. Its Silent Drive mode, which presumably cuts the diesel engine and allows it to run solely on battery power, provides soldiers with a tactical advantage. Additionally, its Silent Watch technology makes it harder to detect with thermal imaging. Again, GM didn’t provide specs for how long it can operate without the diesel engine running but I guess that isn’t information we need to know. It’s also information that the Department of Defense might not want public. GM Defense also prepared it for automation, so it’s ready for unmanned operation if needed.

Despite being a military vehicle, there are some features you’d expect in a normal road car, like ABS, stability control, and a 360-degree camera system. GM Defense also offers armor add-ons, too, and the thought of the DoD shopping for these things and picking out armor like we pick out rubber floor mats is funny to me. “Yes, we’ll take the frag grenade underbody protection, please. Also, one 50-caliber mounted machine gun. Oh, and the wireless phone charger, please. Is the Apple CarPlay wireless or wired? OK, wired. Thanks.”

This new GM Defense tactical vehicle is available in two-, four-, and six-seat configurations and will be revealed at the AUSA 2024—the annual meeting and exposition of the Association of the U.S. Army—which runs October 14-16.

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