…This question was asked in an article I just read, in which the Ford F-150 EV was also mentioned, alluding to “no one knows who that American electric pickup buyer is”. On the other hand, I'm convinced that they will sell like hotcakes.
Here is the link: https://www.wired.com/story/why-everyone-building-electric-pickup-truck/
Hummer is like Ford GT. I doubt they will even crash test to the model, very few will sell in limited production.
Base price of Cybertruck is $39.9k with many selling $50k-$60k. They will sell a lot of them.
Tesla model 3 was top selling luxury car in world surprising Audi, BMW, Mercedes and Lexus
BEV trucks will be a status symbol. Look at Hummer EV starting at $112K. Not too many Joe Six Packs have the disposable income to afford it. It will be reserved for the elite earners. I don't know what BEV F150 will sticker for but most certain it will be north of $70k, which is Navigator pricing. Truthfully i think the shift to BEV will k–l the industry. If the entry point for BEV is $40K-50k and prior for ICE was $15k-20k, that is a huge disconnect. And don't preach about the used car market. Once the battery can no longer take a decent charge, the car is worthless. So is the end game to force lower earners out of cars to use mass transit that doesn't exist? I am not seeing how this works in the end. I support hybrids, but BEV is just not ready for mass market.
Now is the time to start a business of mobile charging vehicles to give some juice to all the trucks on I-75 that are stuck. A transit connect with a generator in the back should do the trick. $100 to give you enough amps to get to the next exit and in 2 years you have enough money to buy the island next to Richard Branson.
Good point on trailer towing range. Decent article here:. https://www.trailerlife.com/towing/tow-vehicles/will-your-next-tow-vehicle-be-electric/
I dont see it right now on a practical level. If you want to tow your boat 200 miles up north, your nice new electric truck will take 8+ hours to drive a bit and recharge. Drive a bit and recharge. Drive a bit and recharge. I just dont think the battery technology is there yet.
I think that working guys will follow what they see commercial fleets do. If a lot of fleets go electric they will eventually follow.
Only people who will want electric trucks are the people who don’t really need a truck. For example the city dwellers using a truck like a passenger vehicle.
Early adopters will likely be in states where Tesla has seen the most growth. There will be more comfort with the technology and interest in making a statement on clean mobility.
Next stage will be those attracted by reliability and 12 year/ 150k, or so, PT warranty.
At the same time will be those who want the latest/greatest. Conventional trucks will start to look dated to many.
I work for one if the primary Detroit based OEMs, and have worked for the other 2 in past, always in BoF platforms PT /ePT. The reason they are after EV trucks is because of 2 reasons, 1. Truck programs have high budgets and can afford to pay for the tech development which can be used later for adaptation to other programs. 2. Truck customers can afford the high price tag, they usually already have Other family cars in the household before they go and buy the truck. I’m not talking about the people who buy trucks as a work horse, they will continue to buy the Conventional PT trucks ... the EVs are for the customers who use trucks to show off, like Hau once said in an EPE town hall announcing the MachE for the first time. Keep in mind the EV truck share of the total volume are peanuts as compared to the real deal!