Electric & Hybrid Pickup Trucks - What's Next?
Electric vehicles are the future. In order to create a zero-emissions world in the fight against the climate crisis, global pledges to be more sustainable have been made by governments and businesses around the world - including car manufacturers. That's why there are so many fantastic electric and hybrid cars for drivers to choose from today.
But what about electric and hybrid pickup trucks? Are they available to buy in the UK yet? Let's take a look at what the pickup trucks of the future look like...
What are electric and hybrid pickup trucks?
Low emission trucks are built with electric or hybrid motors. An electric vehicle solely uses a rechargeable electric motor. A hybrid vehicle uses an electric motor that is also backed up by an accompanying petrol or diesel motor. They both need to be refuelled at electric charging points that are installed in the home and found in public destinations.
Are electric and hybrid pickup trucks available to buy in the UK?
Electric pickup trucks haven't been available to buy in the UK because building them is trickier than building other EVs. There's also the fact that pickup trucks aren't as popular in the UK as they are in the US because many are too big for UK roads. However, this is set to change as Ford, Volkswagen and potentially Tesla are all set to launch electric and hybrid pickup trucks. Before then, though, the first ever electric pickup truck in the UK will be the Maxus T90EV from China, which will be released in the first quarter of 2023 at a sale price of £49,950.
What are the best electric and hybrid pickup trucks?
The Rivian R1T, Ford F-150 Lightning and Toyota Electric Pickup are just some of the pickup trucks (hybrid and electric) on sale or soon-to-be on sale in the USA.
Here they are in more detail:
Rivian R1T
Rivian is a Californian EV manufacturer backed by Ford and Amazon. Their R1T range features models that provide between 250-400 miles of driving per charge. The truck uses Quad Motor technology (four motors, one for each wheel) and the towing capacity is around 5tonnes. The R1T should be available in the UK in early 2023.
Ford F-150 Lightning
Ford is releasing an all-electric version of its bestselling pickup truck. It will have a dual motor with 563hp and 1,051Nm and a driving range between 230-320 miles per charge. It's unlikely to come to the UK as it is considered too big for UK roads.
Toyota Electric Pickup
Toyota has now officially joined the electric pickup party, revealing a concept model in December 2021 simply called the Toyota Pickup EV. Although the US on-sale date isn't expected to be until 2025, the brand will also announce another pickup EV for UK sale (e.g. the Hilux).
While it might take a while to get behind the wheel of an electric or hybrid pickup truck in the UK, we have a range of amazing used pickup trucks to browse today.