in , , , , , ,

Will Electric Trucks Take Over the Market Next Year?

2021 Electric Pickup Trucks Ford F150

In the United States, pickup trucks are big business. The Ford F150 has been the best-selling vehicle for decades. Right behind it, the Chevrolet 1500 and Ram 1500 vie for second- and third-selling vehicles. Now electric pickup trucks are poised to make their debut. Can they take over? Will they take over? How fast will it happen?

Before we talk about that, let’s talk about the trucks that will be introduced.  Getting tons of press due to its nameplate, the GMC Hummer will be an all-electric truck.  It reportedly spits out 1000 horsepower.  Another well-known name, Tesla will introduce its Cybertruck.  Rivian, a startup, is expected to introduce its electric pickup.  Last but not least, Ford is expected to release an electric F150.

Tesla Cybertruck 2021
2021 Tesla Cybertruck Electric Pickup Truck

The Market Demand

At first, the cost will be prohibitive.  The rumor is that the new Hummer will cost about $115,000 USD.  So it certainly won’t capture the market overnight.  For those who prefer used trucks, they should know the changeover will happen very slowly.

2021 GMC HUMMER Electric
GMC Hummer EV – 1000 Horsepower

However, in the U.S., pickups sell at a rate of about 15 per 100 vehicles sold. That’s a huge market. Ford alone sold 900,000 F150s last year.  So the electric truck manufacturers are making a solid bet. They can expect to capture some of that market, and that will help them get capital to move forward with the switchover to electric.

The average full size truck costs around $30,000. However, due to pricey trims, most of them roll off the lot at somewhere between $48,000 and $58,000.  If the manufacturers can get the price down to that range, they shouldn’t have any trouble selling people on the idea.  That’s if they can prove that electric trucks are as capable as regular pickups.

The Reluctant Buyer

According to a survey, 93 percent of truck shoppers are not willing to pay more for the sake of the environment.  That means that the truck manufacturers have a long way to go in getting these shoppers to look at their product.

Fortunately for those same manufacturers, electric motors are better at producing torque than they are horsepower.  Torque is the force that gets the heavy truck moving, even when it is full of payload or hooked up to a heavy trailer.

To interest Americans in electric trucks, the manufacturers are debuting the highest horsepower and torque combinations that they can.  They are also marketing special features such as the crab walk maneuver that the GMC Hummer reportedly can accomplish.

Charging the vehicle is another concern that the manufacturer must be able to overcome.  The latest and best electric cars have a long range, and it can be assumed that the new trucks will have something approaching that range, given the high pricetag.

If the manufacturers can overcome these obstacles and persevere long enough for the price to drop, electric trucks could be the dominating force in just a few years.  That would be great for the environment. As far as the owners go, they’d benefit too from low fuel costs and high productivity.

2021 GMC Hummer EV Electric Pickup Truck – Photo Gallery

2021 Ford F150 Electric Pickup Truck – Photo Gallery

2021 RAM 1500 Electric Pickup Truck – Photo Gallery

Rivian Electric Pickup Truck – Photo Gallery

Tesla Cybertruck Electric Pickup Truck – Photo Gallery

What do you think?

253 points
Upvote Downvote
5 1 vote
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
guest

0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments

Written by Liviu Marcus

I am passionate about cars, computers, and technology. These things are part of my everyday life. I like to do research on everything that exists in the automotive industry in order to share with you the most important information in this field. Many nights were lost for this, but I have no regrets as long as everything I do is a passion, the passion for cars and everything related to them.

Does It Matter What Kind of Car Battery You Get

Does It Matter What Kind of Car Battery You Get?

Alloy Wheel Type Benefits and Weaknesses

What are Alloy Wheels? Benefits and Weaknesses