Are electric pickups our future?
TeslaThe world has hardly accepted electric cars as the new normal, but that's OK because automakers big and small appear to agree that electric pickup trucks are the golden ticket. Trucks, as you likely know, have exploded in popularity, and along with SUVs , have largely displaced the trusty sedan as the family vehicle of choice.
Every few weeks it seems another EV pickup is added to the pipeline, so we here at Roadshow decided to throw out the lasso and round them up. From Tesla , to the reborn Hummer , Rivian and everything in between, here is every company that's announced intentions to build one. Whether they all come to market remains to be seen.
Not too shabby for a Hummer reboot.
GMCGMC Hummer EV
Yes, its full title is the GMC Hummer EV . Why? This isn't a total reboot of the Hummer brand. Instead, GMC will sell the Hummer EV pickup as a sub-brand of sorts at its dealers. Nevertheless, it's one of the greatest vehicle name resurrections in history after its predecessor died just over 10 years ago.
On Oct. 20, GMC finally spilled the beans on what the new Hummer EV pickup is all about. For starters, it's coming next year exclusively in Edition 1 trimmings. If the name doesn't give it away, these will be the first Hummer EVs to roll off the assembly line with the tip-top features, a tri-motor setup and it carries a whopping price tag of $112,595 before a destination charge. The standard pickup will come in fall of 2022 with a tri-motor setup, and in spring of 2023, the more affordable trucks will come with a two-motor system. "Affordable" is relative since it'll cost $89,995. If that's a little too rich for your blood, the "base" Hummer EV arrives in spring of 2024 and will cost $79,995.
The Hummer EV Edition 1 promises 350-plus miles of range, 1,000 horsepower and an estimated 0-60 mph time of three seconds, but it's not clear if those specs will translate to lesser Hummers. I wouldn't bet on it, to be honest. For those that opt for the first Hummer EVs, there's a lot of other good stuff onboard, though.
GM's Super Cruise hands-free driving assistant is standard, an adaptive air suspension and a four-wheel steering system with the much-hyped CrabWalk mode. The latter lets the truck move diagonally as the front and rear tires steer at the same angle. A set of 18-inch wheels feature with 35-inch Goodyear Wrangler tires start to kick up the off-road prowess, but underbody armor, rock sliders and super nifty underbody cameras give drivers a ton of ways to view their doings as they tackle dirt, mud and everything in between.
This is probably the most anticipated electric truck.
Nick Miotke/RoadshowTesla Cybertruck
Of course the Cybertruck is at the top of the list. It seems even those who wouldn't bat an eye at new vehicle debuts know about the futuristic electric pickup truck. With CEO Elon Musk present to usher the radical machine into the world (and oversee the smashing of its window ), the Cybertruck put the EV pickup segment on notice and showed there may actually be a place for them in the future.
Tesla plans to offer the Cybertruck in three flavors: A tri-motor, all-wheel drive model, a dual-motor AWD model and a single-motor, rear-wheel-drive version will serve as the base pickup. Prices should start at $39,900, but the first trucks slated for production in late 2021 will be the tri-motor models with a starting price of $69,900. Performance ranges with the models, but tri-motor buyers will be looking at around 500 miles of range, 0 to 60 mph times of 2.9 seconds and a 14,000-pound towing capacity. Beyond that, the dual-motor should return 300 miles of range and tow 10,000 pounds and the single-motor EV pickup will go 250 miles and tow 7,500 pounds.
We learned this year Tesla will build a new Gigafactory in Austin, Texas that will handle Cybertruck production, and it could start churning the pickups out come next spring.
Looking a little like a Rivian.
FordFord F-150 EV
We don't have an official name for this guy yet, but Ford will play in the EV pickup space, don't you worry. Right now, we only know the electric truck will have a lot in common with the F-150 -- at a minimum, it'll be quieter than the truck as we know it today. In January 2019, Ford first announced its intention to build an electric F-150 , and then last summer, we saw a prototype in action. Ford's little stunt saw a prototype pull one million pounds . Following the 2021 F-150's reveal, Ford started to share just a little more about the electric F-150 and even showed a teaser photo highlighting a futuristic design . The automaker also plans to sink $700 million into a new US facility to build the pickup.
A couple of patent applications may give us a couple other clues. Last December, we did see a patent image surface for a "frunk." The F-150 EV may sport a trick compartment system that may swing open with access through the grille. We'll surely see more of it throughout 2020. In October, another application detailed a possible range-extending engine the size of toolbox to help the electric truck eliminate range anxiety.
This newcomer looks good and very promising.
RivianRivian R1T
Rivian's R1T has garnered a vast amount of interest and held on to it. Even better, the company has a lot of credibility behind its upcoming EV pickup, thanks to an influx of investments from companies such as Amazon and even Ford .
The R1T is about the size of a Honda Ridgeline , will wade through 3.3 feet of water and should go over 400 miles on a charge with the top-spec model and its 180 kilowatt-hour battery pack. Rivian will offer two other battery pack options, 135 kWh and 105 kWh packs, that should provide 300-plus miles and 230 miles of range, respectively. No matter which, there are four electric motors to produce the power. With the biggest battery, drivers will have 700 horsepower on tap with the ability to unlock more power via updates. Running down the battery ladder, the second-largest pack provides 754 hp and the smallest still provides juice for 402 hp.
The company thinks it's struck the right balance between an EV pickup people can drive daily, but also not be afraid to take off roading. It's even got lots of neat storage options and a potential list of nifty accessories coming. Production was supposed to start this year, but the company pushed its timeline back amid the coronavirus. Prices start at $69,000.
Sharp. Literally.
BollingerBollinger B2
The Bollinger B2 is the pickup version of the Michigan-based startup firm's first vehicle, the B1 SUV , and it shares the same sharp looks and specs. Overall, the B2 is more of a back-to-basics approach, even if the starting price is a cool $125,000 . At the truck's debut all the way back in 2017, the company said there will be a choice of 60 kWh or 100 kWh batteries, but Bollinger in April spoke of 120 kWh and 180 kWh batteries for its B2 chassis cab version . Thankfully, these batteries will head to the retail trucks with 200 miles of range as the starting point. The original 120-mile range estimate just doesn't cut it by today's standards.
The rest of the specs are pretty impressive, including 614 hp, 668 lb-ft of torque and a competitive towing capacity of 7,500 pounds. The B2 will handle 5,000 pounds worth of payload, too.
The B2 was supposed to come to market last year, but now, it looks like 2021 will be the year Bollinger's pickup finally hits the market. The startup recently moved into a new headquarters and announced a hiring spre e to double its workforce.
Sure it looks like a futuristic, extra butch Tacoma but we kind of dig how the Badger looks.
Nikola MotorsNikola Badger
Nikola's best known for its work to bring electric and fuel-cell-powered semi trucks to market, but this March, it decided to toss its hat into the electric pickup game. The Badger will combine batteries with a hydrogen-fed fuel cell system to create some pretty tantalizing specs. But, fraud allegations may have derailed this project a tad.
The company said the truck should tout a peak horsepower figure of 906 hp and muscle 980 lb-ft of torque. What also seems unimaginable is a 600-mile range, with 300 miles on battery power alone. The rest of the range should come from the fuel cell system, but if you know anything about hydrogen fuel infrastructure , it's not simple and lags behind even EV charging infrastructure. Nikola already said it plans to help rectify the issue and build 700 hydrogen fueling stations in the US, but still, hydrogen has a long way to go.
While Nikola deals with the fallout from heavy allegations and an SEC investigation, it's working to close a partnership deal with General Motors . GM would engineer, validate and build the Badger for Nikola with GM's own battery and fuel-cell technology. The potential deal highllighted Nikola's drama and allegations that it doesn't actually have its own proprietary technology for the truck.
Aside from the basic features, Nikola also teased a 0-60 mph time of 2.9 seconds -- with help from a supercapacitor launch system -- and a tow rating in the 8,000-pound realm. If the Badger comes to fruition, it will be with a lot of help from GM. Nikola planned to show the truck later this year but scrapped the event amid the coronavirus pandemic .
Coming next year.
Lordstown MotorsLordstown Endurance
Lordstown Motors is a newbie to the electric pickup game, and the crowded EV startup field in general. The company came to life after purchasing General Motors' plant in Lordstown, Ohio , last year and it immediately revealed plans for its first model, the Endurance pickup. This year, it showed a running prototype at its headquarters as it works to launch the truck early next year.
Following its reveal in June, Lordstown said it will solely target the commercial truck market with its estimated 250-mile range and 600 horsepower, thanks to four in-wheel motors. The finer details aren't available, but Lordstown also says the truck should tow 7,500 pounds.
Preorders for the Endurance are open with a starting price of $52,500. The first customers should receive their electric rigs in January 2021 and the company remains ambitious after saying it hopes to build 20,000 trucks during its first year of production.
Atlis XT
Atlis made a splash in early 2019 when it announced its XT electric pickup truck . News has since gone quiet but it's an impressive-sounding machine. This big guy is meant to compete more with heavy-duty pickups, and the specs reflect its intentions. The company plans to offer a dualie version of the XT and it should tow up to 35,000 pounds. An air suspension will create 12 inches of ground clearance, and yes, the company plans to offer a fifth-wheel gooseneck hitch for big towing jobs.
Details on the powertrain are nearly inexistent, but we know at least one battery supply 125 kWh. Atlis also said it wants to offer the truck with 300, 400 and 500 miles worth of range in different variations. The price should start around $45,000, which seems rather ambitious, but the company also detailed an "Atlis Subscribers Club" purchasing model. For $700 per month, subscribers will get the truck, insurance, maintenance and even charging covered. The monthly cost will climb based on extra features. For those that want one, they'll need to help Atlis raise the cash to put the truck into production first.
This one's probably further out, but in the pipeline.
Henrik Fisker/TwitterFisker Alaska
The Fisker Alaska is at the bottom of this list because we really don't know anything about it. The pickup only came to light after the CEO of Fisker, Henrik Fisker, tweeted this image back in February and quickly deleted it. Fisker at the time told Roadshow it couldn't confirm the model or the name shown in the image but said it's "indeed working on a modular electric vehicle platform that may underpin several different affordable EV models." The statement sounds like a great way to not confirm, but also confirm, there's a pickup truck coming.
Fisker's currently focused on launching its Ocean SUV next year, so it'll likely be awhile before we see or hear anything about the Alaska -- if it makes it to production and keeps that name. The startup may like to know French automaker Renault already has a pickup called the "Alaskan."
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