GM Defense Shows Silverado-Based Unmanned Concept, Targets 2027 Trials

GM Defense has unveiled an unmanned ground vehicle concept based on Chevrolet Silverado 3500HD dual-rear-wheel underpinnings, with functional trials targeted for 2027. The proposal transfers a commercial heavy-duty truck architecture into a different role; it is not an announcement of a driverless Silverado for retail buyers.

In its October 12, 2026, AUSA announcement, General Motors said the concept is intended for logistics and casualty evacuation. The vehicle remains a development project, so the planned trials should not be confused with an operational deployment or a consumer launch date.

A separate hybrid-power prototype

GM Defense also presented the EPIQ Hybrid prototype. The company describes a 60-kilowatt, 100-kilowatt-hour expeditionary energy-storage system paired with an onboard generator, intended to reduce noise and thermal signatures in demanding environments.

Those two electrical figures describe different things: kilowatts express power, while kilowatt-hours express stored energy. They are not a driving-range claim for the Silverado-based concept. GM identifies the unmanned vehicle and EPIQ Hybrid as separate projects.

Commercial hardware, different mission

GM frames its approach as transferring existing engineering, manufacturing and supply-chain resources into defense products. Its stated emphasis is speed and scale, but that is the manufacturer’s assessment of the strategy—not an independently measured result for this concept.

The release does not provide the unmanned vehicle’s complete propulsion specification, validated range or a retail price. Until testing results and program decisions are announced, the useful distinction is between the truck architecture being reused and the capability the finished system may eventually deliver. Chiefs Review has not tested either prototype.

For consumer pickup coverage, see Slate’s October demo-ride schedule; that is a separate vehicle and program.

Photo credit: Illustrative archive photo: a road-going Chevrolet Silverado 3500 HD, photographed November 2, 2024—not the dual-rear-wheel unmanned concept. “Chevrolet Silverado 3500 HD Crew Cab LTZ 4WD (IV, Facelift) – f 02112024”: © M 93 / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 DE. Display resized; no editorial alterations.