What we know about GM's all-electric truck pickup that could save Detroit plant

As part of its initial settlement for the United Auto Workers Union, General Motors said it would build an all-new battery-electric pickup at a plant in Detroit the company planned to close.

While the UAW has rejected the offer of 48,000 of its workers on strike, it is likely to remain a part of an eventual settlement. Building the truck and saving jobs at the Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant is one of the concessions the company is willing to give.

GM's communications director Tony Cervone said he could offer "no details" about the planned battery-electric pickup but, since CNBC has reported that the truck was in development last winter, some specifics have to begin to leak out.

The new model will go into production in 2021, "most likely" to a 2022 model-year offering, said Sam Fiorani, head of global vehicle forecasting at automotive industry research firm AutoForecast Solutions. That's about the same time rival Ford will introduce its own all-electric truck, he said. It's a full year behind Rivian, the suburban Detroit-based start-up that plans to build its own electric pickup. Tesla has also confirmed plans for an electric pickup, CEO Elon Musk said earlier this month will produce "most likely" debut in November.

Rivian's R1T is sized somewhere between the midsize Chevrolet Colorado and full-size Chevy Silverado trucks. Its motors will make "close to 800 horsepower," the company said. That will allow it to tow up to 11,000 pounds, and its 180 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery will deliver over 400 miles range.

By comparison, Fiorani said he expects the Chevy truck will be "even bigger," along the lines of the gas-powered Chevrolet Silverado.

"You have to expect its towing capacity would be more than the Silverado, in excess of 11,000 pounds," he added, while predicting Chevy's EV pickup would be similar to Rivian's R1T.

Whether the new truck will get a name linking to the Silverado line or opt for something new is uncertain. Chevy has opted for names highlighting the battery-based technology in its first two electric models, the hybrid plug-in Volt and all-electric Bolt.

Unlike the Silverado, with its ladder-frame chassis, the GM pickup will rely on a skateboard-like platform, its batteries, motors and other key drivetrain components below the load floor. That's an approach as well as the Chevy Bolt and Tesla Model 3, and one essentially all future long-range electric vehicles will adopt.

Goal Fiorani and other analysts think GM is developing a unique platform for the pickup to handle every day. That said, many anticipate the platform could be wide ranging, perhaps an all-electric version of the Chevy Tahoe and Silverado SUVs, suggests Fiorani. They could also move into the plant known locally as the Poletown plant.

"It's hard to imagine an electric pickup truck alone," said Michelle Krebs, an analyst with Cox Automotive. But the challenge for GM, Krebs stressed, is figuring out what can be expected.

"Everybody's going to have an electric pickup, at some point," she said. "But it is not a market, we do not know if there will be enough to go around."

U.S. Pickups, and the Silverado has the second best-selling vehicle overall in the U.S., just behind the market leader, Ford's F-150. Krebs and Fiorani agreed, but there is simply no clear data on the subject.

Battery-electric vehicles of all forms are gaining momentum, but they still account for barely 2% of the U.S. market, so Krebs said it will likely take time for GM – and its competitors – to generate significant volumes for their planned electric pickups.