Tesla Pickup Truck

[GoTslaGo]

IMHO, while I would love to see a Tesla Pick-up, I think Tesla's current move to release the Semi is a better direction. Besides the obvious benefit of reducing diesel use and emissions, it will provide Tesla with street cred.

When the fleets adopt Tesla Semi's because they are better than current Semi's then it would give Tesla a huge boost in the "marketing" aspect of Trucks. This would lead to a much better perception of Tesla as a work vehicle, and smooth the acceptance of a Tesla Pick-up. If Truckers love their Tesla Semi's, then Pick-up owners/buyers will take notice.

Thus, when a Tesla Pick-up does come out, the main issue will be how to set up the pick-up for future off-road capabilities. Which I believe will be an extremely important future direction for Tesla, especially since Mars has no roads.

 

[mkspeedr]

I had hopes not to buy an EV truck but no good solution yet. I had to buy a F150 today. Nice truck - sucks I have to go to gas stations again.

 

[Red Sage]

In case you haven't seen it before, it may have been mentioned earlier in this thread, here is something I wrote about three years ago, before it was known that autonomous driving was such a big part of Tesla's future:

Red Sage ca us | April 11, 2014
Hauling Where the Heart Is...

One thing I would like to see Tesla Motors do is to further the clean, renewable energy initiative of the company. Before long, naysayers will begin to note, as Tesla's sales increase, that they still use fossil fuel vehicles to ship and deliver their cars in the United States of America. I propose heading off that criticism by doing the unthinkable.

Tesla should create a line of long-haul semi-trucks that are fully electric. A Tesla Road Truck. They would be used solely by their own company. They would not be offered for sale to anyone else. They would be driven by Tesla employees, who were experienced long-haul drivers.

It would have to be comfortable, aerodynamic, and efficient. I imagine something along the lines of the better looking trucks on the road:

Freightliner Cascadia Evolution

Kenworth T680

Peterbilt 579

Volvo VNL 780

Some might say it would be better to work with one of those manufacturers to jointly develop the Tesla Road Truck. I don't think so. It's better to be completely independent. This is about proving that it can be done, proving that it is feasible, proving they can do it alone. Proving the technology can be not only competitive, but superior.

The trucks would need their own separate charging infrastructure to accommodate their size and power needs. That could be arranged two ways. Tesla could forge an alliance with a company such as the TA Travel Centers of America to place truck specific charging stations at their truck stops. If that were not possible, Tesla could build out their own, private lots across the nation to act as Tesla Waypoints for charging their trucks in transit across the nation.

What I like about setting up at the truck stops is that they are ubiquitous, across the country. Tesla could just lease space on site to install their own Superchargers. TA would get the added advantage of having solar panels installed at their locations in sunny Southern states, such as Arizona, Texas and others, to offset their own reliance on the electrical grid.

Beyond that, truckers love to talk about their rigs, as a matter of tradition. Tesla owners do that just as much as anyone else. So Tesla's drivers would become ambassadors of the technology as well, direct to their peers. And Tesla Motors could use their input to gauge interest, occasionally having test drive events for the trucks as well, hosted by the TA Truck Stops. Even if Tesla decided not to ever sell the trucks or go into full production of them, it might be just enough to convince truckers to beg for the technology from their traditional truck manufacturers.

If they had to build Tesla Waypoints, that would not be so bad. Logistics could be handled rather easily by internal systems. They could be sure that security for the cargo was aptly monitored. There could be sleeping quarters on site, along with provisions for food, drink, and entertainment during a driver's down time. In fact, it might be a good idea to set up these Waypoints at strategic locations, even if they did have a good deal with TA.

It might not be necessary for 100% of Tesla's deliveries and transports to be made with these trucks. If perhaps 30 to 50 of their trucks were on the road, that might be enough to get the word out. If Tesla intends to release a pickup truck around 2020 or so, it would be a good idea to have these road trucks in public view around 2017. That would be just in time for the ramp up of production for the Model E, so it would get that much more publicity. And that publicity would increase anticipation for the pickup truck, call it the Model P.

To that end, the trucks would need to have superior range. I'd manage that by co-opting the traditional design aspects of semi-trucks:

• The large ones typically have three axles. So you'd might as well have three motors, working in unison.
• There are usually fuel tanks on either side of the cabin, running nearly the full distance between front and rear wheels. Those could house stacked battery packs, formed to fit that space.
• Underneath the cabin and what is typically the engine bay on trucks, you'd have the usual 'skateboard' arrangement of battery packs, from front to rear.
• In addition to all that, you'd make use of the space behind the truck cab, by storing battery packs vertically, behind the sleeper area.
• Yes, the engine bay would instead be a ridiculously large frunk.
• Naturally, the car carriers they would tow would be properly aerodynamic, enclosed, and covered with Tesla logos.

With those many places to store batteries, I think it would not be hard at all to achieve a cruising range, under load, of around 1200 miles on a full charge. That said, knowing that most trucking services govern their vehicles by limiting them to 55-65 MPH max, I took that into consideration as well. Assuming 12 hours on the road, at 65 MPH, that comes to 780 miles. So if someone were to hit the road at a 90% charge, which allows 1080 miles range, they could drive 780 miles and still have a 20% charge remaining -- a 300 mile range buffer. They would park at a TA Center, or Tesla Waypoint, to charge while they rest. If it were a rush shipment, a different Tesla driver would attach their rig to the load and continue, relay style.

Yes, I know... This would cost a lot of money. But it is mostly for the sake of marketing. It would still cost less than running multiple spots on Super Bowl broadcasts over the next six years. And the trucks would likely be on the road 20-25 years. That makes the expense more than worth it.​

 

[Barklikeadog]

I had hopes not to buy an EV truck but no good solution yet. I had to buy a F150 today. Nice truck - sucks I have to go to gas stations again.

had to? Did you get a 36g tank?
Ive had mine for 16 days and still have approx 220 miles of range left from the dealer filling up the tank.

 

[Barklikeadog]

Just kidding, I regularly need to haul brush or chips for the yard plus lumber for my many projects. Hate going to the gas station and hate having to change oil and other stuff. Probably going to be at least several years before we see an all electric pickup, and one that is not $100,000.

One would think that a pickup would be easier to accomplish. Plenty of room for batteries and anything else you want to do... and a lot of middle class people who won't spend 50k on a sedan often don't flinch at spending 50k on a truck. But then you have to deliver something that will go 200k miles and is pretty tough.

 

[mkspeedr]

had to? Did you get a 36g tank?
Ive had mine for 16 days and still have approx 220 miles of range left from the dealer filling up the tank.

Yes, 36 gallon tank. I think it has just about every option possible. It is easy to see why they sell so many but $67K for a truck is pushing the limit for an ICE truck.

 

[Barklikeadog]

Yes, 36 gallon tank. I think it has just about every option possible. It is easy to see why they sell so many but $67K for a truck is pushing the limit for an ICE truck.

Yup, I got a Limited, ended up with almost 10k of sticker. Voice recog is surprisingly good. Ive never -needed- luxury, but on a hot day I open up the windows and roof, turn on the AC seat and also the massaging seats. kinda spoiled now.

 

[Red Sage]

Yes, 36 gallon tank. I think it has just about every option possible. It is easy to see why they sell so many but $67K for a truck is pushing the limit for an ICE truck.

It is price tags like that as to why I believe Tesla should just start off with pickups that are designed to rival the Superduty/HD rides from Chevrolet, Ford, and RAM. So crew cab, 6.5' or 8' bed, dual motor all wheel drive dually with Class III, Class IV, and Class V towing capability. Perhaps with a gooseneck or weight distribution hitch it could manage the loads over 30,000 lbs... But really, if they can reliably haul 15,000 lbs loads 300 miles, it would be awesome. It would probably require HUGE battery packs, from 170 kWh to 220 kWh or so... But I believe it could be done.

 

[Barklikeadog]

It is price tags like that as to why I believe Tesla should just start off with pickups that are designed to rival the Superduty/HD rides from Chevrolet, Ford, and RAM. So crew cab, 6.5' or 8' bed, dual motor all wheel drive dually with Class III, Class IV, and Class V towing capability. Perhaps with a gooseneck or weight distribution hitch it could manage the loads over 30,000 lbs... But really, if they can reliably haul 15,000 lbs loads 300 miles, it would be awesome. It would probably require HUGE battery packs, from 170 kWh to 220 kWh or so... But I believe it could be done.

What is really being missed out on are the fleets. If Tesla were to offer a basic work truck right now, they would have orders several times that of the Model 3.

 

[mkspeedr]

I think fleet pickups or small Transit connect type cargo vans would be king. We have 2 transits at work - they drive non stop all day and are the preferred vehicle for deliveries (per the drivers). If someone made a Transit connect size electric - we would replace our gas fleet instantly.

 

[Cal1]

Bison Electric truck from Canada (not in production yet)
Charged EVs | Havelaar’s Bison electric pickup truck is built for tough Canadian weather

 

[Red Sage]

What is really being missed out on are the fleets. If Tesla were to offer a basic work truck right now, they would have orders several times that of the Model 3.

Ford already offered a 'basic work truck' as an EV -- years ago. Few know about the Fully Electric version of the Ford Ranger. Back when ford Discontinued the Ranger in the U.S. they also nixed plans to bring the Electric version here. Strange thing is, the ICE Ranger is still rather lauded in other countries, to the point where pickup truck enthusiasts in the U.S. seem to really long for it to come back here.

New Ford Ranger Tempts Us From Afar

The Ford Ranger EV Was Ford's Response to the Electric Chevy S-10 - Autotrader

Companies like the aforementioned Phoenix Motorcars (and maybe BYD too) have been offering small work trucks through fleet sales, always with the intent such vehicles would only be used behind-the-scenes for the most part. So, at airports, seaports, and train yards. A few might have ended up with local municipalities from time-to-time. Ultimately, it seems that traditional automobile manufacturers want the possibility of fully electric trucks of any size to be a closely held secret from the public at large.

I think fleet pickups or small Transit connect type cargo vans would be king. We have 2 transits at work - they drive non stop all day and are the preferred vehicle for deliveries (per the drivers). If someone made a Transit connect size electric - we would replace our gas fleet instantly.

I have felt the Ford Transit Connect would be a perfect platform for a fully electric vehicle from the instant I first laid eyes on it. I feel the same way about the Nissan NV200 and Dodge/Mercedes-Benz Sprinter. I was rather surprised that there was a fully electric Kia Soul EV before Toyota could make a fully electric SCION xB.

 

[KarenRei]

I hear that vans are the substitute for pickups in Europe

Careful about overgeneralizing all of Europe.

Here in Iceland, there's no culture of "urban pickups as a style statement" like there is in the US. But pickups are very popular for two purposes - as work vehicles (especially in our very spread out rural areas), and as a way to get into the highlands. I'm looking to replace my Gen1 Insight with a used Model 3 perhaps 4 years from now, and then hopefully a few years later I'll be able to replace my '93 Ford Ranger with a used Tesla pickup.

Work duty is pretty much the same the world over. Getting into the highlands, however, that's a bit different. There's not a single paved road or settlement in the deep highlands (which take up most of the country, a country the size of Kentucky); the best roads are just "someone drove a bulldozer through here", while the worst are "someone pounded in some stakes here". On the outskirts of the highlands there's some small settlements, and there's a few hydroelectric plants in the edges - both of which would provide "last chance" charging. After that, you're on your own. You have to drive through rivers - and some people regularly flood their vehicles trying. You need to not get bogged down - for example on one route you drive across Flæður, which is a river several kilometers across but only 0-20cm deep (carrying constantly accumulating loose sediment); it's a rather weird experience. There are many lava flows that you have to drive across in the highlands, and there are few worse surfaces on Earth to drive across than aa lava. In some routes they've bulldozed enough sand / pushed enough boulders aside to fill in the major cracks and ridges. In other places, it's basically bouldering. You may only average ~5-10km/h on a bad lava field, versus 50-60km/h on the best sand "roads" (although these can be full of unexpected rocks or holes, so you have to be careful). A typical cross-highlands drive may be 300km (or more), with no chance of refill, and very expensive towing fees. The conditions are *very* rough on vehicles, and bash them around a lot. Some people also take their vehicles up on glaciers, although that usually requires special tires.

So in short, I, like most people here, wouldn't have interest in a "Tesla cargo van" or a "Tesla urban pickup". But a heavy-duty bash-it-up electric pickup, that's definitely on my wishlist.

Still wondering what sort of power consumption highlands driving would have. Your aero losses will go down to almost nothing, but your rolling losses will go way up. Deployable solar or wind would be super-popular, as many people drive out to the highlands to then go hiking.

 

[STARR X]

Ford should reintroduce the Ranger in the USA as electric.

 

[Xenoilphobe]

Careful about overgeneralizing all of Europe.

Here in Iceland, there's no culture of "urban pickups as a style statement" like there is in the US. But pickups are very popular for two purposes - as work vehicles (especially in our very spread out rural areas), and as a way to get into the highlands. I'm looking to replace my Gen1 Insight with a used Model 3 perhaps 4 years from now, and then hopefully a few years later I'll be able to replace my '93 Ford Ranger with a used Tesla pickup.

Work duty is pretty much the same the world over. Getting into the highlands, however, that's a bit different. There's not a single paved road or settlement in the deep highlands (which take up most of the country, a country the size of Kentucky); the best roads are just "someone drove a bulldozer through here", while the worst are "someone pounded in some stakes here". On the outskirts of the highlands there's some small settlements, and there's a few hydroelectric plants in the edges - both of which would provide "last chance" charging. After that, you're on your own. You have to drive through rivers - and some people regularly flood their vehicles trying. You need to not get bogged down - for example on one route you drive across Flæður, which is a river several kilometers across but only 0-20cm deep (carrying constantly accumulating loose sediment); it's a rather weird experience. There are many lava flows that you have to drive across in the highlands, and there are few worse surfaces on Earth to drive across than aa lava. In some routes they've bulldozed enough sand / pushed enough boulders aside to fill in the major cracks and ridges. In other places, it's basically bouldering. You may only average ~5-10km/h on a bad lava field, versus 50-60km/h on the best sand "roads" (although these can be full of unexpected rocks or holes, so you have to be careful). A typical cross-highlands drive may be 300km (or more), with no chance of refill, and very expensive towing fees. The conditions are *very* rough on vehicles, and bash them around a lot. Some people also take their vehicles up on glaciers, although that usually requires special tires.

So in short, I, like most people here, wouldn't have interest in a "Tesla cargo van" or a "Tesla urban pickup". But a heavy-duty bash-it-up electric pickup, that's definitely on my wishlist.

Still wondering what sort of power consumption highlands driving would have. Your aero losses will go down to almost nothing, but your rolling losses will go way up. Deployable solar or wind would be super-popular, as many people drive out to the highlands to then go hiking.

Sounds like you need one of these as backup in the highlands -- sounds like a great offloading country!

 

[GoTslaGo]

So the other day it rained. I was at an intersection waiting for the light and watching pick-up trucks (obviously with their beds empty) slipping, sliding and spinning out. Finally one spun out and was involved in an accident (low speed fortunately, wet roads...).

Got me thinking about how a dual drive EV Pick-up would be amazing. The weight balance with the motors in front and back would be great, as well as the central battery pack.

All the pick-ups I saw spin out obviously lost traction with their unweighted rear wheels and of course the front engine didn't help with things.

Looking forward to a Tesla Pick-up, and hopefully no more of these stupid accidents.

Of course some dude next to me in a Chrysler (who's watching the fiasco unfolding in front of us...or maybe not) decides to jump off the light and almost spun out himself... fortunately I had a feeling he was going to do that, and waited for him to get into the intersection before moving myself.

 

[Roamer]

Here you go. Just what you ask for.
Bollinger Motors

 

[Merrill]

Here you go. Just what you ask for.
Bollinger Motors

That would not be what I could use, maybe if you are on safari. I need something more like an F-150 so I can haul long pieces of wood and brush.

 

[Roamer]

That would not be what I could use, maybe if you are on safari. I need something more like an F-150 so I can haul long pieces of wood and brush.

The thing that caught my eye was how easy it would be to haul long pieces of wood. The pass through design was pretty clever.

Maybe not a solution for people that use a truck as a car but sure is an interesting rethink of what a true utility vehicle can be when powered with batteries.

 

[Merrill]

The thing that caught my eye was how easy it would be to haul long pieces of wood. The pass through design was pretty clever.

Maybe not a solution for people that use a truck as a car but sure is an interesting rethink of what a true utility vehicle can be when powered with batteries.

Maybe if you put a rack on it, I just needed some 4x4's 20 feet long and I could do that with my F-150 but do not see the Bollinger doing that.