Zac Quinn 
Vehicles are generally expensive, especially if you’re seeking to purchase a Chevrolet Silverado EV or Sierra EV. However, a cheaper alternative briefly surfaced for sale for an electrified GM pickup truck. A 1997 Chevy S-10 Electric was on Facebook Marketplace, and went for $15,000 at the time of this writing. Since the listing is no longer availble, it’s unclear just how much it actually went for. But compared to the six-figure Sierra EV Denali and/or Silverado EV RST, that’s chump change.
1997 Chevy S-10 Electric: Details
The Chevrolet S-10 Electric is one of the rarest vehicles most can afford, with just 492 of these things ever built. Unfortunately, most were crushed when their leases were up, but 60 were sold outright to commercial fleets and avoided an untimely demise. This particular 1997 Chevy S-10 EV is number 145 and has seen better days. When Chevrolet built the S-10 Electric, the batteries were stored in the floor. There were two battery packs you could choose from: either the standard 15 kWh lead-acid battery array that would make about 60 miles of range (what this particular truck had), or those with a bigger budget could step up to a 29 kWh nickel-metal-hydride battery pack, which made about 130 miles of range. We shouldn’t complain too much about the current EV range when compared to this.
According to Jalopnik, the truck’s lead-acid battery pack was dead and removed from the truck. That said, purchasing a BMW i3 battery module can work as a replacement. On top of that, Trajectory Electric Customs has a lithium battery update kit for these things, which runs for around $12,000. These two options are required to get the truck running again; however, if you opt for the update kit, plus the $15,000 for the truck and possibly a few grand for some other components to ensure the truck is running as it should. You’re sitting at about $30,000 for a 27-year-old electric Chevy S-10.
$30,000 certainly is costly for a 27-year-old pickup that needs some work to get it running. But, with a bit of TLC, you could return this vehicle to its former glory, not to mention how cool it would be to have an old Chevy S-10 Electric. Even at $30k, it’d still be cheaper than purchasing a brand-new Electric pickup. Sure, it won’t have all the fancy screens and safety features, but all of the fancy whats-its in cars today aren’t necessary to have a vehicle that’s a blast to drive.
