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As electric vehicles become the staples of the road over their combustion engine predecessors, car enthusiasts and the transport industry are looking to eco yet powerful pickups for both thrill and efficiency
[This story first appeared in Koktail Magazine Issue 3.]
In the late ‘90s, I became fixated on the idea that the electrification of all vehicles was necessary for the good of the world. The small city I grew up in during the ‘80s already had both electrified commuter rail and bus, and the nation generated the majority of its power via hydroelectric dams. With all the talk of peak oil and the environmental concerns related to the fossil fuel industry, I couldn’t understand why governments weren’t taking a more proactive approach to electrification.
If you’ve been following the EV industry over the past couple of decades, you’d be entirely in your right mind for not predicting the automotive industry would be in a gravitational freefall toward EV and alternative energy vehicles. At the turn of the millennium, things weren’t boding well for the electrical vehicle. One might recall the 2006 documentary Who Killed the Electric Car?, which examined the lengths the auto and fossil fuel industry would go to protect its future profit potential. Hybrids eventually started to emerge (à la the Prius), but they were a far cry from the fully imagined EVs we see on the roads today.
It wasn’t until the “nausea-inducing” torque of the Tesla Roadster and the subsequent Model S that piqued the imagination and desire of car enthusiasts and eventually the general public, that the EV sector crawled out of the swamp and started walking. There are few people today unfamiliar with Tesla’s CEO. Irrespective of the drama-fueled hype that surrounds the company these days, without Tesla’s involvement in advancing the adoption of EVs, the industry certainly wouldn’t be where it is now. A fledgling sector no more, EV manufacturing is now finding some maturity with all major carmakers offering electric options for staple models, in addition to stand-alone EVs.
When considering the electrification of vehicles, the larger the vehicle, the larger the reduction in overall emissions. Big rigs achieve the biggest reductions, so it’s no surprise that companies like Volvo are filling large orders for transportation companies eager to ween themselves off fossil fuels and save themselves a bunch of cash in the process. Pickups are next in line. One study concluded that an electric pickup achieves 65 per cent reduction in carbon emissions over the lifespan of the vehicle compared with its ICE (internal combustion engine) counterpart.
Thailand is a nation of pickup trucks due to its agricultural backbone and government incentivisation programmes of the mid-2000s. If you’re to look on the roads outside of Bangkok, a rough guesstimate would land you somewhere around 70 per cent of vehicles being pickups. It stands to reason that the electric truck will eventually be a fixture of Thai roads, especially if the government is smart about guiding that transitional path to emission-free vehicles.
Though Thailand has a somewhat limited charging network for EVs currently, it is gaining momentum. There are close to 700 charge locations in Thailand (2,300 chargers), with renewables-focused Energy Absolute providing the lion’s share of these sites as well as companies like state-owned PTT and several independents adding to the growing network. As a major player in the automotive industry, producing trucks for major manufacturers across many markets, it seems likely that at some point in the future, to remain competitive, this manufacturing will need to include EVs.
Currently, however, electric trucks are only available in America with many exhilarating models in the works to be released over the next couple of years. Hopefully, it won’t be too long before some of these electric kings of the road reach Thai ports. For now, here are a few of the most exciting models of electric trucks to admire and aspire to drive.
1/8 Rivian R1T
The acquisition of a former Mitsubishi factory in Illinois seems to have been the right move for this EV maker, with the site already being expanded and an additional site in Florida being built. Despite being a startup, Rivian managed to be the first company to bring an electric pickup to market before any of the big players, beginning delivery late last year. In addition to that, they’ve set a new benchmark for the pickup truck—the RT1 is the darling of the EV truck scene right now. Built from the ground up with the adventurer in mind, its appointments are very well considered. It’s also almost absurd to consider in that short span of a decade, the humble pickup truck now competes with the likes of a million-dollar McLaren supercar in terms of torque. The 4-tonne Rivian R1T produces almost twice the torque of the 1500kg McLaren 720S.
With more than 83,000 reservations, scaling seems to be Rivian’s biggest issue. The company has managed to ship just north of 2,000 vehicles at the time of writing.
Acceleration (0-60 mph): 3 seconds
Torque: 908 lb-ft (approx. 1231 Nm)
Range: 400 miles (approx. 644 km)
Towing Capacity: 11,000 pounds (approx. 4,990 kg)
2/8 Ford F-150 Lightning
America’s best-selling truck for close to 50 years, the F-150 began delivering the long-anticipated EV version earlier in May 2022. Starting at around US$40,000, Ford clearly intends on keeping the truck within reach of the everyman, at roughly half the price of a full spec Rivian R1T. Beyond its price point, the F-150 attracts with its built-in scale tech, detailed road data (accurate range can be estimated from payload), and physical dial built into the LCD screen—the tactile interface that almost every EV seems to lack. The F-150 can power your home should you ever need to—up to three days, according to Ford, using its extended range battery and home integration system.
With around 200,000 pre-orders for the truck, that’s a backlog of around three years at current production capacity.
Acceleration (0-60 mph): 4.5 seconds
Torque: 775 lb-ft (approx. 1050 Nm)
Range: 320 miles (approx. 515 km)
Towing Capacity: 10,000 pounds (approx. 4,536 kg)
3/8 GMC Hummer EV
The discontinued gas-guzzler is back, sans gas, 12 years after GM stopped production of the ICE model. The EV iteration falls in the luxury category of trucks, starting at US$80,000. Novel features like the Crabwalk allow the vehicle to travel diagonally thanks to the four-wheel steer, and additional clearance can be achieved with an adjustable suspension that lifts the truck up to six inches.
GM has just started delivery of the hummer (they delivered only one vehicle in 2021), and there are reports of some buyers exploiting this scarcity, flipping their purchase for twice the price.
Acceleration (0-60 mph): 3 seconds
Torque: 1,000 lb-ft (approx. 1,356 Nm)
Range: 350 miles (approx. 563 km)
Towing Capacity: 7,500 pounds (approx. 3,402 kg)
4/8 Tesla Cybertruck
Tesla teased the Cybertrucak a few years back but finally committed to a delivery date of late 2023. Supposedly, the company registered more than one million reservations for the futuristic truck, but that was back in a world devoid of EV pickups. That landscape has now changed, so one can imagine a number of those reservists opting for one of the alternatives now available.
More Mad Max than trade vehicle in terms of styling, the Cybertruck is aiming to be the toughest truck out there. More or less an APC (armored personnel carrier), the outer body is constructed of cold-rolled steel and features Armormax glass windows robust enough to stop assault rifle rounds, should you find yourself in such a situation.
Owners of the Cybertruck will benefit from the extensive supercharger network across North America.
Acceleration (0-60 mph): 2.9 seconds
Torque: 800 lb-ft (approx. 1,085 Nm)
Range: 500 miles (approx. 805 km)
Towing Capacity: 14,000 pounds (approx. 6,350 kg)
5/8 Chevrolet Silverado EV
Another one of America’s pickup truck fixtures, the Silverado sees new life with its EV build. Featuring a passthrough midgate, the Silverado enables the bed area to extend into the cab itself for increased payload flexibility.
Over 110,000 reservations means that the Silverado is back-ordered for some time. It is also being manufactured at the same GM factory as the Hummer EV.
Acceleration (0-60 mph): 4.5 seconds
Torque: 780 lb-ft (approx. 1,058 Nm)
Range: 400 miles (approx. 644 km)
Towing Capacity: 10,000 pounds (approx. 4,536 kg)
6/8 The Alpha Wolf
Photo courtesy of Alpha Motor Inc.
The Alpha Wolf from Alpha Motor Inc. will appeal to those who appreciate a classic pickup. As with the entire Alpha lineup, aggressive styling delivers itself as some sort of modern hybrid with ancestry in the classic Datsun and Tacoma pickups of the mid-’80s. The retro minimalist interior emulates the analogue simplicity that pickup trucks have traditionally enjoyed. With its default, rugged, off-road persona, it’s ideal as a small work truck or adventure vehicle.
There was a great response to the designs, though, without a working prototype, the publicised delivery estimate of 2023 seems unlikely. However, an agreement with Indian automotive manufacturer Hinduja Tech looks to be a major step toward producing a tangible vehicle.
Acceleration (0-60 mph): 6.2 seconds
Torque: TBA
Range: 275 miles (approx. 443.5 km)
Towing Capacity: 6,725 pounds (approx. 3,050 kg)
7/8 Lordstown Endurance
Featuring four in-wheel hub motors and no axle or gear box to reduce the number of parts used, the Endurance was at one stage slated to be the first electric truck to market. Things didn’t work out and unable to scale efficiently, the company failed on its delivery via the former GM plant in Ohio. It has since switched to an outsource manufacturing model with a Foxconn contract, enabling the company to scale more efficiently.
Acceleration (0-60 mph): 5.5 seconds
Torque: 800 lb-ft (approx. 1,085 Nm)
Range: 250 miles (approx. 402 km)
Towing Capacity: 8,000 pounds (3,629 kg)
8/8 Canoo Pickup Truck
On the smaller end of the pickup truck spectrum and modelled more like a vehicle destined for martian terrains, Canoo recently partnered with NASA to provide the agency with crew vehicles for future lunar missions. The Canoo Pickup Truck is a full utility vehicle built modularly with outdoor pursuits in mind. The truck bed, for instance, is extendable from six to eight feet. The sides and front can also be flipped down and transformed into useful work surfaces. Unfortunately, due to some hot water the company is in, whether these spage-age vehicles will ever see the lights of day remains to be seen.
Acceleration (0-60 mph): 6.9 seconds
Torque: 500 lb-ft (approx. 678 Nm)
Range: 200 miles (approx. 322 km)
Towing Capacity: TBA
Honourable Mentions
One must wait a couple more years for the arrival of the indomitable Dodge Ram, a veteran workhorse on American roads. Reconfiguring its corporate outlook toward EV production, Dodge promises the Ram 1500 EV sometime in 2024.
Toyota has also teased us with an EV truck resembling a Tacoma. Tacomas are wildly popular in the US, and no doubt when the EV finally comes to market, it will be greeted with open arms.
