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| © Rivian, Tesla, Bollinger - Car and Driver Tesla's Cybertruck isn't the only EV with a cargo bed that's coming soon. |
- Many automakers, both startups and well-established players, have announced plans to build all-electric pickup trucks.
- We rounded up all the electric trucks on the horizon from Tesla's new Cybertruck to Ford's upcoming electric F-150.
Tesla
is not the only car company preparing to build an all-electric pickup
truck, although its new Cybertruck certainly is getting its fair share
of attention. When—and if—it hits the marketplace, the Cybertruck will
likely have to face some competitors, as numerous other automakers have
announced plans to build and sell electric trucks in the near future.
Here, we've rounded up the growing field of EVs with cargo beds, both
from well-established car companies and new startup players.
GM Electric Pickup Truck
While
General Motors hasn't yet made a formal announcement about an electric
truck, numerous executives have hinted that it's happening in the near
future. The company has reportedly made a $3 billion investment in the
electric truck program, which will use a new platform called B1T. These
trucks will be built at GM's Detroit-Hamtramck plant, which will be
retooled as part of the investment. There's even a rumor that GM may revive the Hummer brand to apply to these new electric trucks. –Joey Capparella
Electric Ford F-150
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| © Ford Ford F-150 Electric Prototype |
Ford builds the best-selling pickup truck in the country, so its
decision to create an all-electric version is a big deal. The electric
F-150 is expected to appear when the next-generation truck makes its
debut, likely sometime in 2021. Ford has already boasted about its capability, executing a stunt where an electric F-150 prototype towed a massive freight train
filled with 42 F-150 pickups that weighed one million pounds. Ford
hasn't shared any specs or details about the electric truck yet,
however. –Joey Capparella
Tesla Cybertruck
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| © Tesla Every Electric Pickup Truck on the Horizon |
Tesla wants people to forget everything thing they know about pickup trucks. With a weird wedgelike shape and DeLorean-esque stainless-steel shell, the Cybertruck
certainly eradicates the segment's long-held conventions. Oh, and it's
dentproof, scratchproof, and allegedly bulletproof. But if Tesla's ambitious claims
that it can tow up to 14,000 pounds and drive more than 500 miles on a
single charge are true, the Cybertruck will be more capable than even
the current Ford F-150 and will have a longer range than any EV on the market.
The all-electric pickup also boasts some impressive performance claims,
with an estimated zero-to-60-mph time that's under 3 seconds and an
adjustable air suspension that can provide up to 16 inches of ground
clearance. If it sounds like Tesla intended the Cybertruck to be more
capable off-road than a Jeep, quicker than a Porsche,
and stronger than all of the best-selling half-ton trucks, well, that's
probably not too farfetched. However, when and whether or not the
production version will actually yield these bold proclamations is much
more dubious. –Eric Stafford
Rivian R1T
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| © Rivian 2021 Rivian R1T |
American startup company Rivian
is planning to throw its electric truck, the 2021 Rivian R1T, into the
ring as early as 2020. This truck is sized between a mid-size pickup and
a full-size. The R1T
has multiple levels of power and battery capacity to choose from, but a
few things are standard in all trucks: all-wheel drive, the ability to
tow up to 11,000 pounds, an adjustable air suspension, and Level 3
autonomous driving capabilities. 105.0-kWh, 135.0-kWh, and 180.0-kWh
battery packs have claimed driving range estimates of 230, 300, and 400
miles, respectively. Rivian claims that models equipped with the 180-kWh
pack can hit 0-60 MPH in a supercar-like 3.0 seconds. The interior of
the truck features lots of wood and leather, with large display screens
for both the gauge cluster and infotainment screen. In addition to being
able to tow a lot, the R1T can carry a lot too, thanks to a large frunk
and bed and a spacious cabin that fits 5 adults comfortably. –Mihir Maddireddy
Lordstown Endurance
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| © Lordstown Motors Lordstown Endurance |
Electric vehicle startup Lordstown Motors first made headlines earlier this month when it bought the shuttered Lordstown plant from General Motors. And yesterday, hours before Tesla revealed its Cybertruck, Lordstown announced
that they were accepting $1000 deposits to reserve their electric
pickup truck, the 2021 Lordstown Endurance. The truck is initially
intended for fleet use, but the company is accepting deposits for
private use as well. Lordstown didn’t reveal many details on the truck
beside that it will have a four-wheel-drive “hub motor” system.
Workhorse, which has 10 percent ownership in Lordstown Motors, will
transfer 6000 pre-existing orders for its electric-powered pickup, the W-15, to Lordstown. Production of the Endurance is expected to start in late 2020 with deliveries starting around the same time. –Colin Beresford
Bollinger B2
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| © Bollinger Every Electric Pickup Truck on the Horizon |
The Bollinger B2
is the wildest and most expensive of the upcoming electric trucks:
$125,000, geared axle hubs, hydropneumatic suspension and the ability to
carry 16-foot lumber with the tailgate closed. Actually, make that
tailgates, plural. There’s one on the front, too, which we guess would
make it a frontgate. Grill-gate? We’ll figure this out.
Thanks to
that exotic suspension and drivetrain—which is like a cross between a
Hummer H1 and a Citroen DS—the B2 has a gross vehicle weight rating of
10,001 pounds, thus making it a Class 3 medium truck in the eyes of the
Federal Highway Administration. That’s why it gets away with no airbags.
With locking diffs, disconnecting sway bars front and rear, and up to
20 inches of ground clearance, the B2 should be a monster off-road. And
despite looking like a Cubist take on a Jeep Gladiator, the on-road
stats are impressive, too: 614 horsepower, 668 lb-ft of torque, and a
4.5-second 0-60 time. Range is estimated at 200 miles, which isn’t a lot
for a vehicle with a 120.0-kWh battery, but obviously range is pretty
far down on the B1’s list of priorities. Bollinger is taking deposits now, with production slated to start in the second half of 2020. –Ezra Dyer
