[HawaiiEV]

I said for a year before GM announced the Silverado EV that if Chevy made an Avalanche EV I would buy it… I’ve got my reservation. Question I have, is the consensus that only the base WT is missing the midgate? I’m hoping that it will be available on a mid grade LT or LTZ trim at the 60-70k price point. I can’t believe I’m considering spending so much on a truck 😂 however the fuel savings alone running on solar over my 6 liter should be 30k over 10 years at current gas prices.

 

[Ch-EV-y]

Hey @HawaiiEV welcome to the forum. That's correct that the WT doesn't get the midgate unfortunately. I think it should be available as an option on the mid level trims. I can't see it being an RST exclusive option.

Which truck are you currently driving?

 

[HawaiiEV]

Currently driving a 2006 Escalade ext, the midgate is a must for me. I hope I can get it in the 60-70k range, already well out of my budget but driving on solar I should be able to reclaim a large chunk.

 

[Ch-EV-y]

Currently driving a 2006 Escalade ext, the midgate is a must for me. I hope I can get it in the 60-70k range, already well out of my budget but driving on solar I should be able to reclaim a large chunk.

That would definitely make life easy for you with charging. What kind of a solar panel setup do you have?

 

[HawaiiEV]

That would definitely make life easy for you with charging. What kind of a solar panel setup do you have?

right now it’s 8.4 kw system and 18 kWh of battery, the pika system now owned by generac. We have been making it work with the RAV4 prime mostly running on solar. I’m contemplating adding another 8 panels 2.8 kw and doubling the battery. Our usage keeps increasing as we have added luxuries like AC. I don’t do a lot of driving and have the ability to charge mid day, so I might get away without upgrading. Gotta figure it out by the end of the year to take advantage of the tax credit still available.

 

[EV_Steve]

I figure that it will be nearly 2 years before I get a call from my dealership to place my order (the RST is well outside of my budget), and I was hoping that the mid-gate would be optional on the WT trim level. If not, I hope that GM "changes their mind" before I place my order, or at least couples the feature with a low/mid trim level like the LT. When I worked for GM, I had to fortunate opportunity to drive an '03 Avalanche for a company car and was sold on the mid-gate. I also had the opportunity to drive a Hummer H2 SUT with this feature (now that was a cool truck, but I wouldn't want to "feed" one with gas on a regular basis).

 

[nebula1701]

I figure that it will be nearly 2 years before I get a call from my dealership to place my order (the RST is well outside of my budget), and I was hoping that the mid-gate would be optional on the WT trim level. If not, I hope that GM "changes their mind" before I place my order, or at least couples the feature with a low/mid trim level like the LT. When I worked for GM, I had to fortunate opportunity to drive an '03 Avalanche for a company car and was sold on the mid-gate. I also had the opportunity to drive a Hummer H2 SUT with this feature (now that was a cool truck, but I wouldn't want to "feed" one with gas on a regular basis).

Might not be on a base WT but I bet it would show up on a Custom at least.

 

[bbrriiaann1973]

Custom or LT would be great

 

[Keneisman]

Just my opinion, but I think a work truck (WT) NEEDS a midgate moreso than an RST! It's just common sense.

 

[Burbman]

Just my opinion, but I think a work truck (WT) NEEDS a midgate moreso than an RST! It's just common sense.

I see your point, but the midgate mechanism is heavy, and a WT needs a better payload rating than a boulevard cruiser. I would expect the WT to have far fewer heavy options than the RST.

 

[camaroz1985]

I see your point, but the midgate mechanism is heavy, and a WT needs a better payload rating than a boulevard cruiser. I would expect the WT to have far fewer heavy options than the RST.

It will get higher payload capacity by having a smaller battery.