The EV revolution will give many start-ups an opportunity to challenge legacy automakers.
Trucks are highly profitable and should continue to be in the future.
Trucks have evolved tremendously over the last ten to 15 years and they’ve become go-to vehicles for all types of jobs. And by jobs, it can be family hauling, hunting, work, or just plain commuting. Their main weakness is efficiency as most demonstrate a near insatiable thirst for fuel. Combing the body type with EV technology makes them all the more interesting.
2023 Rivian R1T | Photo: Rivian
Now, big and heavy electric trucks will still be highly inefficient, but they’ll consume massive quantities of far cheaper (for now) electrons instead of black gold. Be that as it may, the willingness of North American consumers to spend huge amounts of money on their trucks is encouraging automakers, new and old, to get in on the truck rush.
The advent of electric vehicles has opened up opportunities for any and all burgeoning car companies. So true is this in fact that a start-up automaker, Rivian, was the first to produce and deliver an electric pickup. And they won’t be the last, obviously.
Here then are ten companies that have or soon will assemble and sell trucks of all shapes and sizes. The commonality is that all are fully electric.
Canoo
Canoo’s modular platform approach takes modular to the next level. The same basic bones can be used as the basis for a pickup with a single or double cab, a minivan, and a delivery vehicle. The range is expected to reach about 200 miles and power, up to 350hp with a dual motor layout.
Chevrolet Silverado EV / GMC Sierra EV
General Motors is banking heavily on the EV revolution. Its Ultium battery and drive motors have rapidly made their way into numerous EVs however, and there’s no arguing this point, their use in full-size Silverado and Sierra trucks will test their validity the most. The trucks should begin to arrive in the fall of 2023.
Ford F-150 Lightning
Ford essentially went out of its way to get the new Lightning out on the road and into the hands of as many truck fans as possible. Between rave reviews and massive towing and range disappointments, the electric F-150, despite being second on the road, remains the most significant current electric truck of the moment.
Foxconn Model V
Taiwanese Foxconn has huge EV plans be it as the builder of vehicles for other makes or as the producer of its own cars, SUVs, and trucks. The midsize Model V pickup promises some decent capabilities and decent performance thanks to a projected 420 km (261 miles) or range. If it comes, it’ll be on sale in 2024.
GMC Hummer EV
The Hummer EV, GM’s first electric truck, is something of a showpiece. Even so, its performance and capabilities, and weight, have made it a favorite for YouTubers and others if only for its crabwalk. GMC will expand the Hummer brand with many more trucks in the near future.
Lordstown Endurance
Lordstown is one of Foxconn’s side projects. The on-again-off-again automaker is, for the moment, solely focused on delivering trucks for commercial fleets but that will likely change in the future. Lordstown and Foxconn might be working on a second vehicle as well. More to come!
Ram 1500 EV
Not much is known as of yet about the electric Ram pickup however we can expect that the truck will be very handsome, and powerful, at first, and expensive. Batteries should come from LG Chem and ranges should exceed 450 km. We’ll know more in only a few days when Stellantis reveals the truck at CES 2023.
Rivian R1T/R1S
More Affordable Rivian R2 Models will Have to Wait Until 2026
Little old Rivian beat everyone to the punch and for the most part, it’s been a good ride. Some unequal build quality issues aside, both the R1T truck and R1S SUV seem to be delivering on performance and meeting expectations. Rivian’s keeping busy delivering Amazon vans and preparing more affordable R2 models.
Scout (Volkswagen)
The giant German automaker is no stranger to trucks, but they’ve decided to revive the Scout name and use it to brand its upcoming collection of electric trucks in North America. Potentially another side gig for Foxconn, the Scout trucks should also all use a single modular platform to underpin a number of body styles.
Tesla Cybertruck
It was supposed to be the first but even if it only hits the road in late 2023, it will continue to be one of the most talked about vehicles in the world. More than 1.5 million potential owners have put a deposit against the highly-anticipated Tesla truck and although we’ve been talking about it for more than three years, we’re not anywhere near being done.
Notable possible entries
As noted, most automakers are seriously looking into building new electric trucks and more will undoubtedly add their names to the growing list of hopefuls.
Among the trucks expected to be revealed in the next 12 to 36 months, we have the Toyota Tacoma EV, Ford Ranger EV, and Fisker Alaska, as well as entries from Hyundai, Kia, and more.
