Electric Pickup Trucks: Everything That Concerns You

Times are changing, and electric vehicles are inexorably gaining in popularity. Consumers seek an alternative to the high gas prices which is sustainable, and automakers push to reduce private transportation’s dependence on fossil fuels. Electrification of mobility efforts started with hatchbacks, sedans, and even crossover SUVs. The wave finally hit one of the world’s most popular vehicle category: pickup trucks.

While it may be unusual to imagine pickup trucks without noise and ruckus, but make no mistake about the the new face of EV pickup trucks – silent yet as powerful as conventional counterparts, if not more. The concept is quite understandable. Low-end torque and instantaneous output by an electric motor seem like a perfect fit for utility vehicles, especially when towing or off-roading. Nearly every major truck manufacturer — and a few upstarts — have planned electric pickup trucks about to get launched soon. Some of the upcoming best pick up machines are tempting.

Recent Developments

The global pickup truck market size stood at USD 177 billion in 2020, and is expected to grow from USD 186 billion in 2021 to USD 256 billion in 2028 at a CAGR of over 4.6 per cent during 2021-28. Electric Pickup trucks will soon share a large pie of that. Previous electric pickup truck prototypes were widely regarded as unworkable in comparison to internal combustion engine vehicles because they depended on large, costly batteries that limited cargo room.

Several industrial mammoths – Tesla, Toyota, Ford, Hummer, Chevrolet, GM, etc. – are looking to launch their e-pickup trucks soon. Sensing an opportunity, the Volkswagen Group has now confirmed its plans to enter the electric pickup market, resurrecting the defunct Scout brand in the process. Further, Chinese brand Maxus, after a huge success with its vans, is now looking forward to hit electric pickup truck market.

Logistics firms are actively engaged in the replacement of existing fleet with cleaner vehicles. For example, in the United Kingdom, logistics organizations have begun to prepare for the deployment of more electric commercial vehicles in their fleet size in the coming years.

Rivian is one of the major developers of the Electric pickup trucks in the market. It has brought in the R1T model of enhancement within the market. Several other players have invested in the technology to solve the woes earlier associated with electric mobility market. For instance, Lordstown Endurance can have an endurance of much more than 251 miles, powered by a 109.1 kWh battery. Tesla Cybertruck is another one in whose range is commendable.

The pandemic ensured we wouldn’t see any electric pickup trucks go into production in 2020, but 2021 became the year the first modern EV pickups went on sale, with many more coming in 2022 and 2023. From early 2022, over half-dozen automotive companies set to debut all-electric pickup trucks, with several others expected to follow.

What to Look for While Buying the Machine

Automakers have a long way to go to convince veteran pickup truck drivers that all-electric motors are reliable just as fossil fuel-run engines. Can pickup truck battery packs handle heavy payloads? Is a full-size pickup truck with an electric motor powerful enough to conquer rough terrain? These are some of the questions in the minds of drivers as they ponder the purchase of their first all-electric pickup truck.

Capabilities that will matter the most from utility perspective are of the off-road durability, towing capacity, and payload capability that internal-combustion engine pickup trucks have long been known for.

Electric Pickup Trucks vs. Gas-Powered Trucks

Best way to check if the all new electric option is as good as the conventional diesel and gasoline-powered trucks is to understand how it fares in the areas of capabilities that matter. Here are some of the major points of importance.

Pricing

Electric vehicles are more expensive at the time of their purchase; consumers can expect the same for electric pickup trucks. The price range of upcoming electric pickup trucks range from around $40,000 to as high as $125,000. For instance, new Tesla Cybertruck and Ford F-150 Lightning have their base models starting from around $40,000, while Bollinger B2 is at $125,000. An average of six of the pickup trucks to hit the market in 2022 or 2023 – Bollinger B2, Ford F-150 Lightning, Lordstown Endurance, Nikola Badger, Rivian R1T, and Tesla Cybertruck – is around $64,000. Comparatively, average price of conventional pickup trucks is around $40,000.

Powertrain (Horsepower)

Naturally, their engines mark the major difference between electric pickup trucks and gas-powered pickup trucks. Thus it is imperative for the success of electric machines that they are as powerful as their gas-powered rivals, complete with similar torque figures, towing capacity, and cargo capability. They’ll even have similar ground clearance to their gas-powered predecessors, despite increased curb weight.

The main edge that electric pickups trucks have is that they shall require far less maintenance than existing gas-powered pickup trucks. Conventional vehicles have numerous moving parts and their individual maintenance is required. Electric pickup trucks will require far less maintenance because of elimination of oil changes, spark plugs, transmission fluid flushes, and coolant replacement.

Fuel Efficiency

There is a drastic fuel efficiency difference between all-electric vehicles and gasoline-powered vehicles. This will definitely be similar in case of pickup trucks. The average fuel efficiency of a gas-powered pickup truck is a paltry 19 mpg, according to the EPA. On the other hand, the forthcoming electric pickups have an average mile per gallon of gasoline-equivalent (MPGe) rating of 76.73.

Features

While the pickup truck were known for their durability and utility, the new all-electric machineswill have an added advantage coming with a range of high-tech and other features never seen before in pickups. Front trunk, or ‘frunk’, is one such addition where drivers can store additional cargo. The battery packs of electric pickup trucks lay flat on the vehicle’s chassis, leaving a considerable amount of space under the front hood. In this space, exhaust-fuming engines used to sit in their gas-powered counterparts.

Few of the other cool features that the electric option has in store are removable roofs, other in-truck storage locations, on-board kitchens, diagonal driving, and fold-out workstations.

Advantages and Disadvantages of All-electric Pickup Trucks

There can be numerous angles of discerning the merits and demerits of the electric substitution of conventional pickup trucks. Apart from general knowledge that the EVs produce zero emissions when driving – which is great for air quality – electric vehicles have plenty of torque, the muscle that gets loads moving. Electric pickups below take advantage of this to deliver huge performance and capability.

Electric motors don’t make any sound in comparison to the existing ICEs. They are much quieter than conventional diesel and petrol engines, improving refinement, this holds true for even the pickup trucks. They also typically cost less to run and are cheaper to service. On the other hand, pickup trucks are infamous for their loud sound. In addition, electric power gives pickup makers the opportunity to rethink conventional design ideas.

The biggest disadvantage of an e-pickup trucks maybe its increased weight – the batteries are heavy, and so, they will take up that extra-weight. Other than this, the ever-existing problems associated with EV adoption as whole hold true in case of pickup trucks as well. Some quite complex engineering solutions may be required to make electric pickup trucks the only demand of a consumer.