Online Reporter
The most popular electric pickup is the Ford F-150 Lightning.
This truck appeared on the scene and showed that an electric powertrain could be useful in a truck.
Ford did a job of ensuring the Lightning was not too expensive and had some distinct features not found in the petrol-powered F-150, such as the massive, powered frunk, which is a front trunk located where the engine would be in a traditional model.
The F-150 Lightning caught on and was popular enough that GM followed with the Chevy Silverado EV and GMC Sierra EV. Ram has its revolution on the way, and the Rivian R1T has become popular.
These additional electric trucks show there is a desire to drive pickups powered by electricity, but are electric trucks able to replace petrol and diesel pickups?
Why did electric trucks become a reality?
Despite Tesla’s success with the Model S and eventually the Model X, Model 3 and Model Y, an electric pickup had not hit the market. How could an electric powertrain handle the rugged needs of truck owners?
This thought process quickly changed when GMC added the Hummer EV.
Although it was initially a SUV, this vehicle proved that electric power could be used for a large, rugged and tough vehicle.
Pros and cons of diesel-powered trucks
Pros
Incredible towing and payload figures.
Impressive engine longevity.
More efficient than petrol-powered trucks.
Performance and reliability surpass petrol-powered trucks.
Fuel flexibility where biodiesel is available.
Cons
Expels the most harmful emissions into the atmosphere of all truck types.
Cost of diesel trucks is much greater than petrol-powered trucks
Limited selection compared to petrol trucks
Fuel costs are prohibitive, especially when filling up the large diesel tanks.
Cannot refuel at home; electric trucks can
Pros and cons of electric trucks
Pros
No harmful emissions. Respectable towing and payload capacities
At-home charging capabilities
Smart use of engine bay into a powered frunk in most electric trucks
EV tax credits are available for most models.
Cons
Charging time is much greater than petrol or diesel refuelling
Driving range drops significantly while towing
Lack of EV recharging infrastructure
Cannot efficiently utilise full driving range
Higher up-front costs than petrol trucks
Where do electric trucks fall short of traditional pickups?
One of the most important reasons for anyone to buy a pickup is to use it for towing a trailer.
Pickups are used daily for nearly every type of job, and most skilled workers must use a truck to haul tools and materials to the job site daily.
This sometimes means taking a trailer filled with tools and equipment.
Pickups also improve the fun of an outdoor adventure when pulling a travel trailer or camper to the lakeside.
The two major concerns with any electric vehicle appear more pronounced when an electric pickup is required to tow a heavy load.
The team from The Fast Lane used a Ford F-150 Lightning and a GMC Sierra 1500 to pull identical trailers.
The results showed the electric truck had to stop for a charge after only 86 miles of towing despite starting with a full charge.
The driving range dropped significantly as soon as the trailer was input into the Ford truck’s infotainment system.
Although fuel mileage drops significantly in petrol and diesel trucks while towing, the greatest challenges when an electric truck is called upon to tow a trailer are the precipitous drop in driving range and the time required to recharge the batteries.
Additionally, most EVs are only able to recharge using a DC fast-charging station to 80 percent of the battery range, which means more frequent stops to recharge the batteries, making it inefficient to use an electric truck for towing.
A long way to go
Electric pickups offer several advantages over petrol and diesel trucks, but they still cannot tow and haul with the same effectiveness as traditional trucks.
Any time a truck tows a trailer or carries a heavy load, the efficiency numbers decrease, but this is more pronounced in electric trucks than in traditional models.
Additionally, the time taken to refuel an electric pickup is much greater than that of a petrol or diesel pickup.
Electric trucks are not able to replace petrol or diesel pickups yet, but with more advanced technology, this might change in the future. — topspeed.com
Tinaye Agere