Elon Musk continues to build hype for Tesla’s planned electric pickup. Tesla’s CEO said during the company’s Q4 earnings call that a Tesla-built hauler “might be ready” to unveil “this summer.”
Further fueling the anticipation, he said the truck will be something “special” and “not like anything else.”
The timeline for a reveal of the pickup comes shortly after Musk said on Twitter that the Tesla pickup was placed ahead of the Tesla Semi and Tesla Roadster, in terms of “resource priority.”
Lot on our plate, so it’s either get van gliders (no battery, powertrain or compute tech) from Daimler & produce sooner or do all & produce later. Not a big difference to total vehicles produced either way. Priority list is Model Y, solar roof tiles, pickup, semi, Roadster.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 19, 2018
“Priority list is Model Y, solar roof tiles, pickup, semi, Roadster,” he tweeted.
Production of the Model Y is slated for 2019 and Musk has said the pickup truck will be the the company’s next product. He is “dying to build it.”
Musk has said the pickup could be a mini version of the Semi with possible features including:
- All-wheel-drive with “crazy torque”
- A step that will lower for entry into the truck
- Room for six passengers
- 400 to 500 miles of range or “maybe higher”
- Dynamic suspension will come standard
- Power outlets with a 240-volt connection for power tools
In addition to trying to deliver a “hardcore smackdown” to gas-burning vehicles, Musk is likely excited to offer a product to the large segment of consumers who purchase pickups.
U.S. truck makers came within a hair of the 3-million-unit sales mark in Q4 2018, with an overall total of 2,944,393 units sold in 2018. That number bests the 2017 total by more than 120,000.
In all, one out of every six new vehicles sold in 2018 was a pickup. It will be interesting to see how electrification comes to the segment. And, if Musk’s idea of of producing something “not like everybody else” will meet the tastes of consumers.
In the meantime, Tesla is not the only electric pickup game in town. Below is a roundup of some other companies making news for combining battery power and a truck bed.
Rivian
The performance specs and design of Rivian’s prototype seems to have consumer appeal. They could be competitive if they’re able to move to production. The company introduced in November an electric pickup called the R1T, as well as an SUV called the R1S to be built on the same platform. Neither is expected to hit the market until late 2020, but the company continues to offer more about plans for the vehicles.
CEO RJ Scaringe said in an interview that to reduce range anxiety for drivers taking the Rivian into remote areas, the vehicles will accept an auxiliary battery that acts like an extra tank of fuel.
The trucks are expected to be offered in three battery pack sizes, 105 kWh, 135 kWh, and 180 kWh, with the largest capable of traveling more than 400 miles per charge.
Scaringe also elaborated on Rivian’s autonomous features. Both the R1S and the R1T are equipped with cameras, radar, ultrasonic sensors, high-precision GPS technologies, and two LiDAR. Scaringe said they’re working to leverage that technology for self-driving tours of popular attractions like a national park.
“Let’s say you are in a national park,” Scaringe said. “We can give you a guided tour of that park, you know, narrated and explaining what you’re seeing, but it’s like the vehicles are on ‘digital rails,’ sort of Jurassic Park style, as it drives around the park. These are some of the features we’re gonna be showing over the course of next year.”
GMC
Electrification could be coming to GMC’s lineup of pickup trucks and SUVs. Duncan Aldred, vice president of the GMC brand, told CNBC that the automaker is considering “electrifying its heaviest trucks.”
Aldred wouldn’t confirm to CNBC if development is already underway, but referred to GM CEO Mary Barra’s March comments that the carmaker is on a “path to an all-electric future.”
Aldred told CNBC that “battery technology still carries a fairly hefty premium that makes it difficult to target mainstream segments, unless a carmaker like GM is willing to accept lower margins. As a result, the executive said, automakers would likely target higher end products.”
GM said last week that it’s moving away from hybrids to focus on all-electric.
Ford
Ford announced that it is going to launch an all-electric version of its best-selling F-Series pickup trucks.
“We have learned a lot, and our bet going forward is different,” Ford Executive Vice President Jim Farley said at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, according to CNBC. “We think customers want to pay not just for the fuel efficiency and the carbon footprint of hybrid, they want performance.”
Farley even started the sales pitch.
“With the F-150 electric, you don’t have to have an expensive generator on site now,” he said. “You can just plug your tools into your truck and that electric powertrain will run all the tools on the job site. Customers will pay for that because now they don’t have to buy a expensive $10,000 generator.”
Pickman
While the new pickups on the road seem to continue to get increasingly more hulking, Chinese automaker Kaiyun Motors is taking a more petite approach.
With a payload of 1,100 pounds, the company believes their mini electric vehicles are more than enough to meet consumers’ daily needs.
The $5,00 Pickman has a top speed of 28 mph and a 75-mile range. It’s designated as a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle (NEV), which fall under the United States Department of Transportation’s “low-speed vehicle” classification. Regulations vary by state, but NEVs can be operated on some roads with posted speed limits up to 45 mph.
The company hopes to sell 10,000 Pickman units to the U.S. this year.