Pickup Trucks Will Provide The First Glimpse At An All-Electric Future

Pickup Trucks Will Provide The First Glimpse At An All-Electric Future - Printable Version

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Pickup Trucks Will Provide The First Glimpse At An All-Electric Future - Speedy - 09-05-2020

https://m.benzinga.com/article/17368635

Tesla Inc (NASDAQ: TSLA) is the first brand on everyone's minds when it comes to EVs. But despite its stunning performance this year which fuelled a 500% gain, Tesla is no longer free of competitors. Besides Nikola Corporation (NASDAQ: NKLA) whose Badger is set to compete directly with Tesla's Cybertruck, traditional automakers have begun their electric transformation at large. Only time will tell if they will succeed to adapt to the new era, but the competing landscape will change dramatically for Tesla during the next 24 months. Moreover, America's favorite vehicle will provide us with the first trailer of the EV blockbuster era ahead.

Legacy Automakers And Pickups
On Wednesday, Ford Motor Company (NYSE: F) alerted its employees that it plans to trim its headcount by 1,400 salaried workers by offering them an opportunity to retire this year. Ford is due to deliver one of the most eagerly anticipated electric models in 2022, an all-electric version of its F-150, the best-selling pickup in the US and Canada for 54 years. However, Ford will first roll out a hybrid version of its popular F150 pick-up. It is expected to be in dealerships by the end of the year. A hybrid 2021 F150 is not a plug-in hybrid as it features a battery that is regenerated by the gas engine. The vehicle can manage short distances on electricity, but it switches to the gas engine when acceleration occurs. Hybrid could indeed be the solution to many of the difficulties that have plagued the development of electric pick-ups.

General Motors Company (NYSE: GM) will reveal its battery-electric GMC Hummer "supertruck" in the fall. The truck segment has been profitable for each of Detroit's big three. In the third quarter, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV's (NYSE: FCAU) deliveries even rose marginally by 0.1% due to strong Ram pickup truck sales. Usually, the battle is between F-Series, Silverado, and Ram. Although the Italian-American automaker has been slow to adopt the electric trend, it did announce back in July that it will electrify its profit-heavy Jeep brand by 2022. So, this battle is bound to be transferred to the electric playfield at some point.

Re: Pickup Trucks Will Provide The First Glimpse At An All-Electric Future - Carnos Jax - 09-05-2020

Though I hope they wildly succeed (competition and choices are a good thing), call me cynical. These guys are so far behind the software and technology curve compared to Tesla. They’ve been talking for a long while but doing nothing (relatively speaking). You just don’t gain this capability overnight.

Re: Pickup Trucks Will Provide The First Glimpse At An All-Electric Future - MrNoBody - 09-05-2020

elderly predictions:

RAM (FCA) will be a joint effort with Tata-India
GM will have a lot of components marked "Made in PROC"
Ford is already partnered with Volkswagen Group
Tesla's next plant will not be in California

:oldfogey:

Re: Pickup Trucks Will Provide The First Glimpse At An All-Electric Future - Carnos Jax - 09-05-2020

I thought Volkswagen fired their forward looking CEO and scaled back their EV plans dramatically? Something about the heirs of Ferdinand Porsche (who control the majority of the company) not ready to abandon ICE?

Re: Pickup Trucks Will Provide The First Glimpse At An All-Electric Future - cbelt3 - 09-05-2020

Delivery box trucks and taxis are the sweet spot for all electrics with regenerative braking and slow speeds. I’m kind of amazed there hasn’t been a huge conversion.

Pickups are great and all. And the torque from electrics is above and beyond any jacked up diesel.

Re: Pickup Trucks Will Provide The First Glimpse At An All-Electric Future - Carnos Jax - 09-05-2020

A great application will be 4 wheel drives and off-roaders. Depending on the number of motors, you can eliminate (and lose all the disadvantages of) lockers, differentials, transfer case, transmission, drive shafts, etc. You’ll have much more precise control of each wheel. I can’t wait to see what the future holds in this regard.

Re: Pickup Trucks Will Provide The First Glimpse At An All-Electric Future - Wags - 09-05-2020

cbelt3 wrote:
Delivery box trucks and taxis are the sweet spot for all electrics with regenerative braking and slow speeds. I’m kind of amazed there hasn’t been a huge conversion.

Pickups are great and all. And the torque from electrics is above and beyond any jacked up diesel.

I can speak to taxis since its my industry. It's been tried here in Portland and failed, likely due to the high initial cost of vehicles (Teslas were used) and low industry mileage rate ( they tried charging about double the going rate, pre Uber). The entry into our market of ride shares was their death knell.

In my company we looked hard at going electric and the biggest problems for us were initial cost, range and charging time between shifts. Perhaps the next iteration of electric vehicles would change that. $20-25K is the upper range for us in per vehicle cost, range has to be a couple hundred miles and charging time needs to be less than a half hour in order to facilitate 2 shifts per day.

Re: Pickup Trucks Will Provide The First Glimpse At An All-Electric Future - MrNoBody - 09-05-2020

Carnos Jax wrote:
I thought Volkswagen fired their forward looking CEO and scaled back their EV plans dramatically? Something about the heirs of Ferdinand Porsche (who control the majority of the company) not ready to abandon ICE?

umm, don't know where you got that idea. A quick DDG search provides some info.

VW Group CEO, Dr. Herbert Diess appointed Ralf Brandstätter as CEO of the VW brand. https://www.volkswagen-newsroom.com/en/press-releases/ralf-brandstaetter-to-lead-volkswagen-core-brand-in-future-6086
(Dr. Diess was previously filling both positions.)

"Construction is underway on an $800 million expansion at VW Chattanooga for assembly of electric vehicles." https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/business/aroundregion/story/2020/aug/12/volkswagen-chattanooga-amping-electric-vehicle-lab/529650/

RSVP for an EV SUV with a $100 reservation for the Volkswagen ID.4 electric vehicle https://www.automotiveworld.com/news-releases/rsvp-for-an-ev-suv-with-a-100-reservation-for-the-volkswagen-id-4-electric-vehicle/

Re: Pickup Trucks Will Provide The First Glimpse At An All-Electric Future - kj - 09-05-2020

MrNoBody wrote:
[quote=Carnos Jax]
I thought Volkswagen fired their forward looking CEO and scaled back their EV plans dramatically? Something about the heirs of Ferdinand Porsche (who control the majority of the company) not ready to abandon ICE?

I think he's thinking of the situation with BMW.

I really like electric cars, btw.

Re: Pickup Trucks Will Provide The First Glimpse At An All-Electric Future - ztirffritz - 09-05-2020

First, there are no electric trucks in mass production currently.

Tesla’s only significant competition in the truck segment is Rivian.
Next is likely Lordstown. Rivian and Lordstown have actual factories and working prototypes.

Nikola has produce exactly 0 production vehicles. Tesla has more vehicles in space than Nikola has even produced.

GM, Ford, FCA, Mercedes, BMW, and Toyota have all promised some action in this segment for years. So far? Nothing. It’s been like fusion power, always x years in the future.