Chevy Silverado EV vs. Rivian R1t: How two EVs dealt with the iconic 400 off -road coin

Something specially descended into the desert outside Las Vegas this weekend: two EVS took the Mint 400 for the first time.

After the Mint 400 launched in 1969, vehicles in this emblematic desert endurance race are powered by dead dinosaurs. Viewers and participants in the competition are also accustomed to the smell of racing fuel in the air, as everything is motivated by V8 trophy trucks to humble classes 11 stocks Volkswagen Beetles fly over the jumps, climb over rocks, and go out to wait for Dry Lake.

All this changed in 2024 when a group of friends entered the Rivian R1t and Mint Organizer Matt Martelli created an EV production class. This year, Chevrolet joined the game and entered the Concept Off-Road Truck Concept of the Silverado EV ZR2, a modified version of its EV truck. The discovery of the concept comes when Chevy prepares to launch 2026 Silverado EV Trail Boss, his first off -road -oriented option this summer.

While the Rivian is a very reserve truck saving for upgraded 35-inch BFGoodrich tires, Silverado EV has received many special parts.

Longer control weapons are taken from Hummer EV to allow a 13 -inch trip. The air suspension was accumulated in favor of springs with a double winding front-with spring speed of 1,600 pounds per inch and single-layer springs at the rear. They do not have to maintain so much weight and only sit on “only” 978 pounds/inch. Hey, this happens when a truck weighs nearly £ 10,000.

The high springs and 37-inch BFGoodrich tires mean that the Silverado EV racing truck sits 15 inches from the ground. However, the truck itself is so great that I initially appreciated that it was only 11 or 12 inches tall. Such is the power of proportion.

It is also taken from Hummer is the three -motor system, with two motors at the rear and one front. Chevrolet says all together produce 1,100 horsepower and 11,500 pounds of torque.

Do not overdo it with this torque number. Chevrolet talks about the wheel torque, which is not the measure that the industry usually uses to talk about torque. The company has not given up all the numbers to make mathematics, but it is safe to say that engines produce over 1000 pounds of things. You still have nothing to sneeze.

Chevy did not change 205 kWh battery. In the street truck, which is good enough for 440 miles, in theory, enough to compete all four mint laps 400. However, the height of the ride, the size of the tires, the tread pressure and the air, and the dirt all apply.

Tim Demetrio, manager of the HEVROLET road execution group, told me that with a limited amount of tests, the truck is on average .5 miles/kWh in dirt. But he didn’t really know how the battery and the drive units would respond to solid desert racing.

Not quite square

The chance to see Rivian and the modified Chevy Silverado EV Square on the coin was interrupted by technicality. Although both vehicles compete, they were in different classes.

The Rivian competes in the EV production class; Chevrolet, as a vehicle that is not currently offered to the public, was in the open EV class. And each truck was in class of one.

The worse is that the Rivian R1T has to make two tour of the course of 73 miles, with Chevrolet just one lap. It is common for manufacturing vehicles to receive less tours of large trophies trucks, but I hoped that both trucks would take it for two laps to test both efficiency and loading.

When I asked Martelli about the discrepancy, he said, “The Rivian had already competed and ended a tour of last year’s race. When we go past in every new class, we try to relieve them in it. We do not want them to fail. This is not good for anyone. So we try to manage this by giving them a little more each time. “

Call it a coin yard 73

As the trucks came out of the starting line, I immediately ran to the Silverado Ev Chevrolet stock I bought me to drive for the weekend.

The first pit is a racing mile of 21, and the original part of the course is very fast. The teams are going to go out over a lake bed, through several sections of sealing and deal with some sandy washings. By the time I reached the first pit, I missed the truck.

The second zone of the pit is a quick driving for pursuit of vehicles, but Chevy should only take a 16 -mile racing course. We found a parking space just in time to see the Silverado EV silently increase the angle from the corner from the area of ​​the pit to a cloud of dust.

The truck crossed the final line with 40% condition. This means that it is on average .6 miles/kWh – a little better than the team expected. It took 2 hours and 10 minutes to complete the course, so their average speed was about 34 miles per hour. She is not too worn for a big truck.

Both the driver Chad Hall and the Coofer Mark Stilou were in a good mood after the race.

“We just traveled,” said Stilou, “No problems at all.”

For Rivian This is a Mint 146

After leaving Chevy, I pointed it to the charges of America’s electrification to check the Rivski.

Yes, the Rivian has to charge his 149 kWh battery to make the two laps and fortunately there are 350 kW charger only a quarter mile from the racing course. The team only has to get in and out of the course at the same moment.

I arrived in a scene of controlled chaos.

R1T blown up an air spring of a racing mile 50 or more. The team was busy repairing it while the truck was loading.

The driver Nick Paris told me that they had arrived at the 20% charging station for charging, placing their effectiveness on the same.

He admitted that he had a little lead leg, hitting 110 miles per hour on Dry Lake. “We saw Chevy ahead of us,” Coaraver Brett Raiser said. “And we said” Let’s go “and Zoooop!” The Rivski made the passage and the race was included.

Having shown up to 90%, Rivian left in his second lap. The car blew up the front shock absorber, but it was down in just 15 minutes.

The Rivian team arrived in the final with a 10% charging state, and despite the truck’s push up to 128 miles per hour on the lake, their efficiency in the circumference of 2 remained .6 miles/kWh.

With your time -booting time, it’s hard to get average speed, but I would put it a little more slow than Chevrolet. In the end, Chad Hall is a driver of a professional racing truck. The Rivian team is just a bunch of delightful nervous individuals.

Nevertheless, as both trucks are over, both are considered winners in the class and will take a trophy for the first place.

Where are Ford, Jeep, Tesla?

Although battery density and charging infrastructure mean that these electron -powered platforms will not be competitive with cars and ice -racing trucks, there is certainly room for more EVS to get into the fight to test the speed of charge, range and durability.

Ford Performance – When you all enter Lightning? Hey Jeep, how about entering Wagoneer s next year? Damn, I would even support Uncle Elon to go into cyberrtek. GMC can be thrown into Hummer, maybe Porsche can expel Taycan Cross Turismo. I helped Volkswagen bring the ID4 to the final in Baja in Mexican 1000 a few years ago, so let’s get that little man too. Imagine the performance of all these vehicles that are fighting for electric dominance for dirt.