Something special fell into the desert outside Las Vegas this weekend: Two EVs got the mint 400 for the first time.
Since Mint 400 began in 1969, vehicles in this virtual desert struggle have been fueled by dead dinosaurs. Viewers and breed participants are used for the smell of the fuel breed in the air, as everything from the trucks with engine to humble class 11, the Volkswagen beetles fly over jumps, climb over rocks and go flat on the dry lake bed.
That everything changed in 2024 when a group of friends entered a Rivian R1T and Matt Martelli’s mint organizer created an EV production category. This year, Chevrolet entered the game and entered the Silvedo EV ZR2 Off-Road Truk Concept, a modified version of the EV truck. The disclosure of the concept comes as Chevy prepares to start 2026 Silvedo EV Trail Boss, the first off-road oriented EV variant, this summer.
While Rivian is very much a stock truck in addition to the upgraded 35 -inch BFGoodrich tires, the Silverado EV took many special parts.
Longer control arms were taken from Hummer EV to allow 13 inches of travel. Air suspension was Nixed in favor of the double-coil springs at the front-with a spring rate of 1,600 kg per inch and spring coils on the rear. These should not support so much weight and sit on “only” 978 pounds/inch. Hi, this happens when a truck weighs almost 10,000 lbs.
Tall 37 -inch BFGOODRICH Tires mean that the Silvedo EV truck sits 15 inches from the ground. However, the truck itself is so large that I initially appreciate it is only 11 or 12 inches height. This is the power of ratio.
Also taken from the Hummer is the Tri-Motor system, with two engines on the back and one front. Chevrolet says that they all produce 1,100 horsepower and 11,500 pounds of torque.
Don’t take too much jazzed for this torque number though. Chevrolet is talking about wheel torque, which is not the measure that the industry usually uses to talk about torque. The company has not abandoned all numbers to make mathematics, but it is safe to say that the engines produce more than 1,000 pounds of materials. Still nothing to sneeze.
Chevy did not change the 205 kWh battery. In the road truck that is good enough for 440 miles, theoretically enough to compete all four rounds in mint 400.
Tim Demetrio, a team manager for off -road performance at Chevrolet, told me that in a limited amount of testing, the truck was on average .5 miles/kWh in dirt. But he didn’t really know how battery and driving units would react to hard races.
Not quite square
The opportunity to see Rivian and the modified square chevy Silverado EV in Mint was disturbed by a technical way. Although both vehicles were breed, they were in different classes.
Rivian competed in EV production class. Chevrolet, as a vehicle not currently offered to the public, was in the EV Open category. And every truck was in a class of one.
What is worse, the Rivian R1T took two rounds of 73 miles, the Chevrolet only one round. It is common for production vehicles to get fewer rounds from the large trucks, but I hope that both trucks would work for two rounds to test both efficiency and charge.
When I asked Martelli about the discrepancy, he said: “Rivian has already struggled and completed a round in last year’s match. When we are in any new class we try to make it easier for them. We do not want to fail. This is not good for anyone.
Call mint 73
As soon as the trucks came out of the boot line, I ran immediately to the Silvedo Ev Chevrolet stock they gave me driving for the weekend.
The first pit is located in Race Mile 21 and the original part of the lesson is very fast. Groups get flat over a lake bed, through some parts of whoops and face some sandy washes. By the time I arrived at the first pit, I had lost the truck.
The second Pit area is a quick move for Chase vehicles, but Chevy should only cross the 16 miles of the race. We found a place to park just in time to see the Silverado EV silently zoom around the corner from the Lakkos area in a dust cloud.
The truck crossed the finish line with a 40%billing status. This means that it was on average .6 miles/kWh – a little better than the team expected. It took the team for 2 hours and 10 minutes to complete the course, so their average speed was about 34 miles per hour. It is not too miserable for a large truck.
Both Chad Hall and co-guide Mark Stielle were in a good spirit after the race.
“We were just traveling,” Stielle said “there are no problems”.
For Rivian, it is the mint 146
After leaving Chevy, I put it on Electrify America Chargers to check Rivian.
Yes, Rivian has to charge the 149 kWh battery to make the two rounds and fortunately there is a 350 kW charger just a four months from the course of the race. The team must only enter and get out of the lesson to the same spot.
I arrived in a scene of controlled chaos.
R1T broke an air spring on Race Mile 50. The team was busy with repairing it while the truck was charged.
Nick Paris driver told me they arrived at the charging station with a 20% billing status, placing 1 round 1 in the same .6 miles/kWh as the heaviest Silvedo.
He admitted that he had a piece of lead, hitting 110 miles per hour on the dry lake. “We saw Chevy in front of us,” said co-driver Brett Rieser. “And we said ‘let’s go’ and zooop! ‘ Rivian made the passage and the race was up.
He was charged at 90%, Rivian left his second round. The vehicle broke a front damper, but it was only down for 15 minutes.
Rivian’s team reached the finish line with a 10% billing line and despite the truck’s push to 128 miles per hour in the lake, the performance of the lap 2 remained .6 miles/kWh.
With the charging time limit it is difficult to get an average speed, but I would put it on a tad slower than chevrolet. The Chad Hall is, after all, a professional truck driver. Rivian’s team is just a bunch of delicious private private.
Regardless, since both trucks are over, both are considered winners of the class and will take a first trophy at home.
Where is Ford, Jeep, Tesla?
While battery density and charging infrastructure mean that these electrons powered will not be competitive with ICE cars and trucks, there is definitely room for more EVS to hit the hit to test charging speed, range and durability.
Ford Performance – When you enter Lightning? Hi jeep, what about entering a wagoneer next year? Heck, I would even be in favor of the divine Elon who entered a Cybertruck. GMC can throw in Hummer, maybe Porsche could achieve a cross turismo taycan. I helped Volkswagen get ID4 on the finish line at Baja in Mexican 1000 a few years ago, so let’s bring this little guy. Imagine the sight of all these vehicles fighting for electric dirt.
