Something special fell this weekend in the desert outside Las Vegas. Two EVs won the Mint 400 for the first time.
Since the Mint 400 was launched in 1969, this iconic desert endurance race vehicle has been powered by dead dinosaurs. Audiences and racial participants are also used to smell the airborne race fuel as they fly over jumps, climb over rocks and leave flat on dry lake beds, from V8 motivational trophy tracks to humble Class 11 stock beetles.
Everything changed in 2024 when PALS’ group joined the Libian R1T, with mint organizer Matt Martelli creating the EV production class. This year, Chevrolet took part in the game and took part in the Silverado EV ZR2 off-road race track concept, a modified version of the Truck EV. The concept’s reveal comes as Chevy prepares to launch its 2026 Silverado EV Trail Boss this summer, the first off-road-oriented EV variant.
Libian got so many special parts except for the very stock truck for the upgraded 35-inch BF Goodrich tires.
A long control arm was collected from the Hummer EV to allow for 13-inch travel. The air suspension supported a dual coil spring on the front, with a spring rate of 1,600 pounds per inch and a single coil spring on the rear. These support a huge amount of weight and don’t have to sit “only” at 978 lbs/inch. Hey, that’s what happens when the truck weighs around 10,000 pounds.
The tall springs and 37-inch Bfgoodrich tires mean the Silverado EV racetrack is 15 inches away from the ground. However, the truck itself is so large that we initially estimated it to be 11 or 12 inches tall. This is proportional power.
Also taken from the Hummer is the Tri-Motor system, with two motors in the rear and one on the front. Chevrolet says it will produce 1,100 horsepower and 11,500 pound-feet of torque.
But don’t jazz too much about that torque number. Chevrolet talks about wheel torque, but this is not the measure the industry normally uses to talk about torque. The company hasn’t given up on all the numbers to do math, but it’s safe to say that Motors produces more than 1,000 pounds. There’s nothing to sneeze yet.
The Chevrolet did not change the 205 kWh battery. A street track that’s enough for 440 miles is theoretically enough to race all four laps on the Mint 400. But ride comfort, tire size, tread, air pressure and dirt all fall victim to you.
Tim DeMetrio, group manager of off-road performance at Chevrolet, told me in a limited amount of testing that the track averages .5 miles/kWh in the dirt. However, he really didn’t know how the battery and drive units react to hard dessert races.
Not square at all
The chance to see the revised Chevrolet Silverado EV Square with Libian and Mint was confused by the expertise. Both vehicles raced, but they were in different classes.
Libian competed in the EV production class. The Chevrolet was in the EV open class as a vehicle not currently available to the public. And each track was in one class.
Worse, the Libian R1T was able to do two laps on the 73-mile course and only one lap for the Chevrolet. It is common for production vehicles to get less laps than large trophy trucks, but I was hoping that both trucks would reveal it in two laps to test both efficiency and charging.
When I asked Marteri about the contradiction, he said, “Libians have already competed and completed their first lap in last year’s race. When they’re shepherds in a new class, we try to ease them. We don’t want them to fail. That’s not good for anyone. So we try to give it a little more each time and manage it.”
Call me Mint 73
As soon as the truck left the starting line, I immediately ran to a Silvered Ev Chevrolet stock and lent me to drive over the weekend.
The first pit is Race Mile 21 and the first part of the course is very fast. Teams can work on washing sand, pasting the lake beds and through several sections of the hoop. By the time I reached the first pit, I had missed the truck.
The second pit area is the Chase vehicle’s quick drive, but the Chevrolet only passes through the 16-mile race course. We found a place to park just in time to see the Silverado EV quietly zooming through the corner from the pit area amid a cloud of dust.
The track crossed the finish line with a 40% charge. So it averaged 0.6 miles/kWh. This is a little better than the team expected. It took the team 2 hours and 10 minutes to complete the course. So the average speed was about 34 mph. Big ol’ isn’t too tattered on the truck.
Driver Chad Hall and co-driver Mark Stierrow remained healthy after the race.
“We just cruised,” Stierrow said. “It’s absolutely no problem.”
For Libian, it’s Mint 146
After leaving Chevrolet I high tiled it to an American charger to check it out.
Yes, Libian needs to charge a 149 kWh battery to make two laps. Luckily there’s a 350 kW charger just a quarter mile from the race course. Teams simply come and go from the course at the same time.
I have arrived at a scene of controlled chaos.
The R1T blew the air spring off at around 50 race miles. The team was busy repairing while the truck was being billed.
Driver Nick Paris said he reached the charging station with 20% charge and placed the efficiency of lap 1 at the same .6 miles/kWh as the heavy Silverado.
He admitted to hitting 110 mph on the dry lake bottom. “We saw a Chevrolet right in front of us,” co-driver Brett Lieser said. “And we said, ‘Let’s go’, Zoooop! ” Livian made a pass and the race continued.
He was charged by 90% and Libian left on lap 2. The vehicle blew the front damper away, but it only fell for 15 minutes.
The Libian team reached the finish line with a 10% charge and despite pushing the track to 128 mph on the lake bottom, the efficiency of lap 2 remained at .6 mph.
With their charging timeout it’s difficult to get average speed, but I’ll make it a little slower than a Chevrolet. Chad Hall is, after all, a professional racetrack driver. The Libian team is a fun, nerdy bunch of private life.
Anyway, both tracks are finished, so they are both considered winners of their class and take home the 1st place trophy.
Where are Ford, Jeep, and Tesla?
Battery density and charging infrastructure means these electronically driven rigs will not compete with ice race cars or trucks, but there is room for more EVs to compete to test charging speed, range and durability.
Ford’s Performance – When everything goes into lightning? Why not join Wagonia next year, Jeep? Heck, I even agree with Uncle Elon getting into Cybertruck. GMC can throw a hummer, possibly Porsche could feed the Teikan Cross Turismo. I helped lead ID4 to the finish line at Baja 1000 in Mexico a few years ago, so let’s take that little guy too. Imagine the sight of all these vehicles fighting for the supremacy of electricity dirt.
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