A Silverado EV owner towed a nearly 8,000 pound Grand Design camper 1,216 miles to Hilton Head on $592.47 of fast charging. That beat a gas truck by about $18, until a forgotten portable charger added $59.
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A Chevy Silverado EV owner towed a 34-foot Grand Design camper 1,216 miles to Hilton Head, South Carolina, and paid $592.47 in fast charging, about $18 less than a gas truck would have spent on fuel. Then he forgot his portable charger at home, and a $59 top-up at the destination pushed his total to $651.47, erasing that savings.
The owner shared the full breakdown in a Silverado EV owner community post. His numbers give a clear picture of what long-distance towing really costs when every kWh comes from a public fast charger.
Silverado EV Camper Trip at a Glance
- 2026 Chevy Silverado EV towing a Grand Design Imagine 2970RL, about 34 feet long and nearly 8,000 pounds dry
- 1,216 miles round trip to Hilton Head at about 62 mph
- 1,227.4 kWh from public DC fast chargers, or 0.99 miles per kWh
- 3 hours and 37 minutes of total charging time
- $592.47 in fast charging, about 48 cents per kWh
- $651.47 total after a $59 top-up at the destination
Towing a 34-Foot Camper With a Silverado EV
The Silverado EV is rated to tow up
The Silverado EV is rated to tow up to 12,500 pounds when properly equipped, so an 8,000 pound camper sits well inside its limit. Range was the real constraint, much like it is for a former F-250 diesel owner who tows a 36-foot RV with his F-150 Lightning.
A tall, flat-fronted travel trailer pushes a wall of air at highway speed, and that drag hurts an EV more than the trailer’s weight. That’s why he held about 62 mph, the same discipline an F-150 Lightning driver used over 13 hours hauling a 25-foot boat.
Most fast charging stalls aren’t built for trailers, so he planned fewer, longer stops to limit how often he had to unhitch. He says a remote-operated electric tongue jack cut unhitching to under 90 seconds when it was needed, though charging rarely goes exactly to plan, as one Sierra EV owner learned in Texas heat.
Across the trip, the truck spent 3 hours
Across the trip, the truck spent 3 hours and 37 minutes plugged in, usually 15 to 30 minutes at a time. The owner says those stops lined up with meals and bathroom breaks, so the family treated them as rest, not lost time, much like owners pulling 5,500 pound boats with EV trucks describe.
Silverado EV Fast Charging Cost vs Gas and Diesel
The truck used 1,227.4 kWh over 1,216 miles, or 0.99 miles per kWh, and the $592.47 bill works out to about 48 cents per kWh. To compare, Blake ran the same miles against AAA’s national averages of $4.27 a gallon for regular and $6.32 for diesel.
- Silverado EV, public fast charging, $592.47
- Gas truck at an assumed 8.5 mpg while towing, about $611
- Diesel truck at an assumed 12 mpg while towing, about $640
The gas and diesel figures are estimates based on assumed towing mileage, not measured trips. Even so, the roadside bill came in about $18 under gas and about $48 under diesel.
How a $59 Mistake Erased the Savings
The owner admits he left his portable Level
The owner admits he left his portable Level 2 charger at home. That forced a $59 local top-up at the destination, which a simple campsite plug would have covered.
With that $59 added, the trip’s energy bill reached $651.47. That’s about $40 more than the gas estimate and about $11 more than diesel, so one forgotten cable turned a small win into a small loss.
Why Public Fast Charging Is the Expensive Part
At about 48 cents per kWh, public fast charging wipes out most of the per-mile advantage an EV truck normally has. I saw the same thing when my own $33.82 fast charge while towing a pontoon cost about as much per mile as gas.
The owner also says choosing faster, better-located stations
The owner also says choosing faster, better-located stations from GM Energy and Mercedes-Benz added roughly $40 compared with cheaper networks like Electrify America. On a trip this long, where you charge matters as much as how much you charge.
Home Charging Changes the Silverado EV Towing Math
The cost here isn’t the electricity itself, it’s where he bought it. At a home rate of 10 to 12 cents per kWh, the same 1,227 kWh would cost about $123 to $147, which is why daily driving costs so little for a fleet operator who saved $900 a month with a Silverado EV.
Long towing trips on fast chargers will cost about what gas does. Local work, errands and weekend trips charged at home are where an EV truck pays off, as my F-150 Lightning’s running costs over 47,000 miles show.
Super Cruise and Less Fatigue on a 1,216 Mile Tow
The owner says long-distance EV towing feels far
The owner says long-distance EV towing feels far less stressful than it did a few years ago, crediting more charging corridors, better reliability and more pull-through stalls. Range planning still matters, especially when weather turns, as a Chevy Bolt EUV owner found towing 2,000 pounds.
He also credits Super Cruise, which GM offers for hands-free driving while trailering on compatible highways, for cutting fatigue. In his view, arriving rested mattered as much as the $592 charging bill.
What Do You Think?
Would you tow a 34-foot camper 1,216 miles on fast chargers for about the cost of gas, or keep a gas or diesel truck for long trips? Tell us about your towing setup in the comments below.
Blake Lowry is a tech forward automotive enthusiast with a background in software development and animation working with clients such as Car & Driver, Hot Wheels, Google, Microsoft and the History Channel where he contributed on various interactive experiences. Blake’s automotive passion is centered around his hands-on experience with electric cars and trucks, alternative/green energy and practical applications in the real world. At Torque News, Blake’s articles focus on Ford F-150 Lightning, Chevrolet Silverado EV, GMC Sierra EV, Rivian R1T, Ford F-150 PowerBoost, Ford Maverick hybrid, Chevy Bolt and Slate Truck coverage.
Read more of Blake’s work on his author profile page.
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Image rendering by Blake Lowry.
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