Home / GM
Elon Musk and Tesla EV Pickup Truck
Armen Hareyan's picture
By Armen Hareyan Sep 20 2018 - 8:35am

Where Electric Pickup Trucks Can Be Used If Produced Today

Last month Tesla CEO Elon Musk said that Tesla pickup truck may come sooner than thought. A week ago GM's Mary Barra hinted at possible electric trucks as well (according to the News Wheel). Here we are taking a look at where electric pickup trucks can possibly be used if they were produced today with rumored capabilities.
Advertisement


I asked on Torque News Facebook page what our readers think of the usage of Tesla pickup truck or electric pickup trucks in general. Here are some interesting replies from that conversation that I would like to share with Torque News readers.

Don Winterhalter To me, it feels like Musk bounces from one idea to another too fast to accomplish as much as he could. While an electric pickup truck for a job site sounds like a great idea on paper (endless torque, electricity for charging always nearby, the inevitable race version, etc.) I don't see it appealing to all those manly guys that can't wait to saw the mufflers off their Nissan Titan or make their F-350 a foot taller.

Whole idea of a pick up is to tow and haul. I don’t see an electric pick up being able to compete with a gas or diesel truck. All that load will decrease battery life. Maybe in a decade when there’s charging stations all over the place.

Chris Donnelly Tesla electric pickup truck would work perfectly in any big factory like Boeing where they never leave the property and can be plugged in wherever it parks.

Donovan Douglas It would have torque for days but not range. Maybe in ten years. But if construction sites had chargers on site that would solve that problem. But the average American commutes like 40 miles per day, so range is key.

Don Winterhalter I don't think most people buy large pickup trucks because they want to be economical. Either they need a pickup truck for work, they used to drive them for work and feel comfortable in them, or they want to drive something big and loud to impress their friends.

Some construction companies might buy some electric trucks as a pilot project but I don't think individual truck buyers will be buying them in any great quantity. If Tesla makes it, it's likely to have good power. And if the buyer spends enough money, it could have a 300+ mile range.

But I don't think pickup truck buyers are early adopters.

John Connor Electric pickups have great use cases, with huge batteries. Big torque. High tow limits. Good source of inverter power at a worksite. Also nice rock crawling.

In this story former Torque News contributor Alex Reichenbach sees a huge potential benefit from Cummins and Tesla Electric Trucks in foreseeable future. However, here is why electric pickup trucks aren't taking off. Yet, Tesla's EV Pickup is aiming at F-150 but the open field may soon close.

What do you think about Tesla's pickup truck plans? What power do electric pickup trucks must have to satisfy today's needs? Please, share your thoughts in the comments section below for discussion.

Reference: The News Wheel, Electrek.

Auto News
Pickup Trucks
GM
Tesla News and Updates

Sign-up to our email newsletter for daily perspectives on car design, trends, events and news, not found elsewhere.

Comments

Sean wrote on September 20, 2018 - 8:56am
Electric pickups make more sense than cars really. They need the torque and are already heavy so adding huge amounts of batteries is a non-issue. Problem is the truck culture is also “bro culture” so that is the last people that will accept an electric vehicle
Teng wrote on September 20, 2018 - 8:56am
I'm sure after they have seen how fast those Tesla trucks can go, yet still tow probably more than their current gas one, and is a helluva lot cheaper to fuel/maintain, they'll likely change their minds.
Robert wrote on September 20, 2018 - 9:20am
Commercial trucks are a different world than the world of folks commuting to work solo in a 7000 lb vehicle with a 20000 GVWR.The fleet managers will see the TCO numbers and buy them as soon as it is safe ( although many need to see a few big companies lead off b4 they will feel safe)..
Bill wrote on September 20, 2018 - 9:49am
The need for a more powerful battery system - with more longevity, with more range - will help further the EV movement.
Les wrote on September 20, 2018 - 2:36pm
A PHEV SUV/truck makes more sense than BEV when towing is needed. Ideally you can commute on battery alone but tow when needed with ICE assistance. The Outlander PHEV has the right idea but needs to at least double it's towing capacity (at least or the North American model). I would love to see what GM comes up with but a PHEV with at least 30mi/50km battery range that could tow 1500kg/3000lbs would be awesome.