The winner of these EV truck wars will step into a huge market for work trucks and pleasure vehicles. So the stakes are high. Here’s a look at the competition while we wait for the real action to begin.

Ford F150 Lightning 

We have to start with the Ford F150 Lightning. It is sliding in as the least expensive, and it can tow 6,600 pounds to start. It can go up to 10,000 pounds if you are willing to pay a bit more.  Plus, it has a huge cabin, a decent-sized bed, and an actual trunk upfront (or trunk, as Ford calls it). 

Altogether, the analysis shows that this is quite the truck, looking at the fact that Ford sets the price at $40,000. In the U.S. other than tax there’s an advantage that some will be able to tap into. I heard that range is the best with 230 miles in one charge, which is unbeatable on a truck that is used for daily work.

Tesla Cybertruck

This one has the odd space-age look. It’s making a lot of promises, but be aware that with those promises, you’ll need a lot more cash. The basic truck will be around the cost of the Ford, but prices climb steeply if you want to achieve record-breaking horsepower and torque. Since we have yet to see one of these trucks in circulation, and there are more F150s than anyone would care to count, Tesla is going to have to be really good and affordable to change the current Ford-dominant pickup culture.

Hummer EV

Wow, it’s been a while since we saw a new Hummer. Now GMC is coming out with a 1000-horsepower Hummer EV truck. Unfortunately, it’s almost double the cost of the Ford. So at this point, it’s a collector’s item more than a work truck. Still, it’s going to be interesting to see Hummers back on the road. WIll GMC follow with an SUV? It probably depends on how well the truck sells.

Rivian EV Truck

If you haven’t heard of this manufacturer, you will. Rivian is coming out with its own EV trucks.  At this point, they are more costly than the Fords, but they will be more powerful like the Teslas with which they will more directly compete.  

Until the trucks are here, we’ll be itching to try out the insanely high torque that many EV trucks are promising. We just hope prices start coming down into the Ford range so more people can join in on the fun. There’s word that Ram and Chevrolet aren’t too far behind the rest, and competition is always a good thing when it comes to affordability. 

2021 Mini Cooper SE Electric Hardtop – $30,750

The 2021 Mini Cooper SE Hardtop 2-door hatchback is the cheapest you can get in terms of an EV from a respectable brand. It provides a solid interior, a 6.5-inch display, and all current-gen safety features as standard or separate options. Coming onto its range, it is more practical as a city car due to its 110-mile range advertised by Mini Cooper. It is configured with an 181-horsepower electric motor, which is also a lot compared to its competitors in this price segment. It is a great car for an in-city commute for a small family, as the rear seats can get a bit cramped for adults.

2021 Mini Cooper SE Hardtop Photo Gallery – Exterior & Interior

2021 Nissan Leaf – $32,535

With four doors, the 2021 Nissan Leaf is a hatchback that boasts with the capacity of 150 miles on one charge. It is moderate for the EV segment but very low when compared to petrol vehicles. Other than a hatchback, Nissan Leaf has a roomy interior and is fairly comfortable but not of the best quality. The car is powered by a 147 hp electric motor, which gives the car the required power.

2021 Nissan Leaf Photo Gallery – Exterior & Interior

2021 Hyundai Ionic Electric – $34,000

The latest version of Hyundai’s Ionic Electric in 2021 has a newly designed battery and superior electrical motors, which are part of the latest generation. They are able to provide better range than older models, and batteries might be charged faster as well. Reaching more distant spots in its area of coverage while supporting level 3 charging, this car can travel up to 170 miles. It is a car of such type that belongs to the public street vehicles family for these people whose priority doesn’t go to the money spendings and there they find harmony.

2021 Hyundai Ionic Electric Photo Gallery – Exterior & Interior

2021 Tesla Model 3 – $36,200

And here is another example: the 2021 Tesla Model 3 which costs $36,200.

The 2021 Tesla Model 3 is the finest premium car edition, and it exactly mirrors every wish of people when it comes to performance, comfort, and safety. On one hand, this car has the most affordable price and offers the minimum car model, which travels 220 miles on one charge. Again, eco-friendly EVs feature the latest and smartest charging system which is the ease and cleanness of electric cars. In order to recharge the battery of the Tesla Model 3, which has already lowered its capacity from 5% to 90% on a V3 Supercharging station, it will take less than 37 minutes. But besides the fact that Tesla also uses autopilot, the large central touchscreen, and less-bling-bling, it still comes as a new model of Roadsters. Its clear and minimalist sight is no less than the style. I will also share a similar story concerning the Model 3 in terms of a 283hp engine that it uses to accelerate from 0 mph to 60 mph in just 5.6 seconds.

2021 Tesla Model 3 Photo Gallery – Exterior & Interior

2021 Chevrolet Bolt – $ 37,495

Among its stablemates, the 2021 Chevrolet Bolt gives you the most range in this price segment. Chevrolet advertises a 259-mile range. It is an average-size hatchback, with a spacious interior, but has a cheap feel in some obvious places. It delivers quick DC charging, in just 30 minutes of charging, it can add 100 miles of range. It’s not Tesla-level fast charging but it outperforms Tesla in range by cutting some corners on the interior quality.

2021 Chevrolet Bolt Photo Gallery – Exterior & Interior

But let’s discuss the new trucks first. The GMC Hummer will gain a lot of press thanks to its nameplate and it is an all-electric truck. It is said to spit 1,000 horsepower. Another famous name, Tesla is going to present its Cybertruck. The electric pickup of a startup, Rivian, is anticipated to come out. Finally, Ford is anticipated to launch an electric F150.

The Market Demand

Initially, the expense will be insurmountable. It is rumored that the new Hummer would cost approximately $115,000 USD. Thus, sure enough, it will not gain the market overnight. Change over to those that like second-hand trucks will be very slow.

But in the U.S., pickups retail at 15 for every 100 vehicles sold.That’s a huge market. Only Ford sold 900,000 F150s in the last year. Therefore, the e-truck manufacturers are playing a valid gambling. They are likely to get a portion of that market, which will provide them with the financing needed to carry out the transition to electric.

A full size truck, on average, will cost about $30,000. Nevertheless, due to expensive trims, almost all of them come off the lot at anywhere between $48,000 and $58,000. If the manufacturers can bring the price down to that level, they should be able to convince people. That is, if they can demonstrate that electric trucks can be as able as traditional pickups.

The Reluctant Buyer

A study revealed that 93 percent of truck buyers will not pay more on an environmental account. It means that the truck manufacturers still have a lot of distance to cover in crossing the minds of those potential buyers.

However, the same manufacturers are lucky enough that electric motors are more torque than power. Torque is what is needed to pull the massive truck even when it is full of payload or towing another hefty trailer.

To entice Americans into electric trucks, the manufacturers are introducing the highest combinations of horsepower and torque they can. They are also promoting unique functionalities like the crab walk maneuver that is claimed to be a characteristic of the GMC Hummer.

Another issue is that the manufacturer should be able to tackle is how to charge the vehicle. Electric cars are getting to have ranges as long as gasoline-powered cars, and it can be expected that the new trucks will be close to that mark, given their high cost.

However, if the manufacturers managed to tackle these issues and be patient for the price to fall, electric trucks could overwhelm in less than five years. That wouldn’t be so bad for the planet after all. So, the owners would also realize the gain from cheap fuel 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

The electric cars do have some significant advantages over the ordinary fossil fuel powered vehicles. The fact that electricity is cheap in almost all developed countries makes electric cars very cheap to run. Punchier as they can be due to the instant torque they can deliver. They are more environment-friendly too since they have zero emissions.

But electric cars face a fundamental drawback of slow recharge times. Where it takes a fuel powered vehicle to fill its tank in a minute or two, it will require about 2-4 hours for you to recharge your electric powered vehicles.

Electric cars nowadays promises to provide around 300 miles of range in one complete charge. Although this number is calculated in favorable conditions but a 230-250 miles mark on average can be taken into account.

The average daily commute of a normal person is about 40-50 miles on a busy day. You can use the same battery for almost 5-6 days without any need of recharging. And you can recharge it in the night-time afterwards.

But it takes a hit when it has to charge on the go. People do encounter emergency situations and can face the need to drive more than what their limited range offers. In such a situation, recharging on the go can be very slow. And when once in a while, you decide to travel off your city, covering more than 300 miles, your 6-7 hours journey would easily convert into a 9-11 hours one, considering the extra time required for electric vehicles to recharge.

This basic flaw can be compensated by increasing the range of the battery, by simply attaching a bigger battery to your electric car. Development is being done to find workable solutions to pack more battery capacity in compact volumes. This would decrease the probability of an individual to charge his car on the go.

Steps are also being taken on reducing the recharging times, especially on the go. Manufacturers have deployed fast charging units at recharge stations to decrease charging time as compared to their home charger. But the recharge times are still around 1-2 hours on these fast chargers. Recently Tesla has rolled out its supercharging stations which can charge at up to 250Kwatts of peak power, for the Model 3 only.

But it is expected that with the passage of time, with further research and development in this sector, recharge times will surely become comparable to refueling times one day. Researchers are working in finding newer battery technologies such as solid-state batteries and newer cooling solutions.

To sum up, electric cars have drawn the interest of the auto industry due to their obvious advantages over the fuel powered vehicles, but they are still in a beta phase in their recharging procedures and battery technologies. Electric cars still require research and investment to develop them to a practical standpoint where they can compete with the refueling times of fuel powered vehicles. Up till than the early adopters have to pay a premium to get to use the latest technology first.