Update: ‘Audi Electric Truck’ added.
By mid-decade (2025), there are at least ten fully electrified models of America’s favorite body style, the pickup truck, that are ready to launch. Here’s the list of known upcoming electric truck models, which their manufacturers have confirmed.
The list contains electric trucks from brands with a proven track record, having built millions of vehicles, or are pouring billions of dollars into EVs.
RAM 1500 Electric Truck
Stellantis brand RAM says it will “redefine” the full-size BEV pickup by 2024 with the RAM 1500 electric. Teasers and initial information released by the company during the Stellantis EV Day 2021 (which took place on July 8, 2021) show a promising electric pickup in the making.
The RAM 1500 EV should have an EPA-certified range in the whereabouts of 250-300 miles. Image – Stellantis
The basic formula is a dual-cab configuration (which is seen as a high-volume configuration and therefore a safe bet) riding on the STLA Frame platform. It would make the 1500 Electric Truck the first model to use the new ladder frame. Additionally, it should be available with a range extender system, offering a similar range with the same payload/cargo volume as a traditional powertrain.
The 1500 EV will likely be the most technologically advanced Ram ever made. It will keep improving and gain features with periodic software updates. Stellantis will roll out software updates for its EVs every quarter, CEO Carlos Tavares said at the Stellantis Software Day 2021 event. Ram 1500 EV customers will likely get an option to upgrade the pickup’s performance even after taking its delivery, Mamatha Chamarthi, SVP – Software Business & Product, Stellantis, suggested at the same event.
For our Ram pickup owners, customers can increase the capability of their truck to handle greater loads.
Mamatha Chamarthi, SVP – Software Business & Product, Stellantis (Stellantis Software Day 2021 on December 7, 2021)
The RAM 1500 EV will use locally manufactured batteries since Stellantis has signed a deal with LG Energy Solution for a joint venture lithium-ion battery production plant in North America. We also know that the 1500 EV will offer various drive modes, dynamic range mapping, and a charge station locator. Expect the company to reveal more details by the end of the year, perhaps improve the specs on the road to the launch.
In July 2021, Stellantis had said that the 1500 EV’s maximum charging power will be 150 kW, which experts believed may put it at a disadvantage in 2024, considering electric car makers have breezed past that charging speed today. On March 1, 2022, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares suggested that the company has decided to increase the supported charging input to make the electric truck more competitive. Tavares didn’t reveal a new figure, but from what he said, we expect class-leading attributes from the truck:
Our Ram 1500 (EV) will outperform all competitors on the attributes customers care most about: range, towing, payload, (and) charge time.
Carlos Tavares, CEO, Stellantis (Stellantis Dare Forward 2030 on March 1, 2022)
Ram has set up a new online platform christened Ram Revolution to keep customers updated about the development of the Ram electric truck and to initiate meaningful interactions with them. Through the RamRevolution.com hub, customers can give inputs during the development phase, get updates and unique visuals and participate in an ongoing dialogue. Through the ‘Ram Real Talk Tour,’ Ram executives and customers can get together to enhance their EV knowledge at various events during the year.
The Ram electric truck would go on sale about two years after rival products from Ford and Chevrolet, and possibly even GMC. However, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares has suggested that the company would make good use of the extra time by “adjusting the competitiveness and the appeal” based on what’s available/lacking in the comparable products already on sale.
Release Date – The RAM 1500 electric truck should be revealed towards late-2023/early-2024, and its market launch in the USA should take place by mid-2024.
Price – The RAM 1500 EV should be priced from the region of USD 40,000.
Tesla Cybertruck
Video: Cybertruck Owners Club/Youtube
Elon Musk, co-founder and CEO, Tesla, has confirmed that the company has pushed the Cybertruck launch further back to 2023. Musk said that launching new models this year would not make sense because the company expects to continue being “parts constrained” this year.
Before Musk confirmed the postponement to 2023, Reuters reported that Tesla plans to change the features and functions of the Cybertruck before the launch. The company could begin production by the end of Q1 2023 (January-March 2023), the person familiar with the matter told Reuters.
We knew the Tesla Cybertruck prices: the entry variant, single motor, starts at USD 39,900, the dual-motor Cybertruck is priced at USD 49,900, and the tri-motor costs USD 69,900. However, Tesla has since removed the Cybertruck pricing and variants section from its website. Tesla says that the Cybertruck can do 0-60 mph as quickly as in 2.9 seconds and travel up to 500 miles on a single charge.
Quad-motor variant
Musk has confirmed that at least one big change is coming to the Cybertruck as it evolves into a series production model, and that’s the addition of a quad-motor variant. The Cybertruck quad-motor will sport four individual motors capable of delivering “ultra-fast response” and allows controlling the torque going to each wheel. It could be quicker in the 0-60 mph sprint than the tri-motor variant (2.9 seconds), and its towing capacity could be better, too (tri-motor variant: 14,000+ lbs). Unofficial images and videos circulating on the web have revealed that Tesla is preparing minor design revisions for the production Cybertruck.
Transaction price
According to initial customer polls, the average transaction price was USD 62,554, indicating that the bulk of the Cybertruck orders is for the tri- and dual-motor variants. While the company has not announced the number of orders it has received for the Cybertruck in recent months, a crowdsourced tally by the Cybertruck forum estimates 1.27 million orders.
Release Date – The Tesla electric truck’s sales may commence in small volume in early 2023.
Price – While the Tesla Cybertruck was announced to start at USD 39,900, Tesla has recently removed the pricing details from its website.
Rivian R1T
Rivian has ‘won’ in the electric pickup race in that it has manufactured and delivered the Rivian R1T, albeit for its employees. It makes the company the first to mass-manufacture an all-electric pickup truck in the United States.
The Rivian electric truck has four electric motors generating up to 700 horsepower and come with three battery pack options: 105 kWh (Standard Pack), 135 kWh (Large Pack), and 180 kWh (Max Pack). The 180 kWh variant makes the 0-60 mph sprint in 3.2 seconds and should offer over 400 miles on a single charge. The Launch Edition is fitted with a 135 kWh battery with 314 miles of range (EPA rating). The 105 kWh variant may deliver up to 260+ miles of range.
Click the to see trim-wise Rivian R1T features, prices, and delivery dates picture in full-size. Image: Rivian
Deliveries of the R1T started in 2021, but not at a full scale. In November 2021, Rivian sent emails to customers who ordered the Launch edition R1T, asking them to expect a delivery window starting as early as March 2022. Some Launch edition customers (depending on their geography) will wait till September 2022. We are expecting an update regarding the matter in the coming days.
The Rivian R1T is available in Explore, Adventure, and Launch Edition trims, with prices starting at USD 67,500. Reservations for the Launch Edition have closed, though. The trim-wise Rivian R1T features are shown above.
Rivian R1T ConfigurationRangePriceR1T Explore Dual-Motor Standard Pack260+ miles*USD 67,500R1T Explore Dual-Motor Large Pack320+ miles*USD 73,500R1T Explore Dual-Motor Max Pack400+ miles*USD 83,500R1T Explore Quad-Motor Large Pack314 miles**USD 79,500R1T Explore Quad-Motor Max Pack400+ miles*USD 89,500R1T Adventure Dual-Motor Standard Pack260+ miles*USD 73,000R1T Adventure Dual-Motor Large Pack320+ miles*USD 79,000R1T Adventure Dual-Motor Max Pack400+ miles*USD 89,000R1T Adventure Quad-Motor Large Pack314 miles**USD 85,000R1T Adventure Quad-Motor Max Pack400+ miles*USD 95,000R1T Launch Edition Quad-Motor Large Pack314 miles**USD 85,000
Rivian R1T prices and range figures
*Company estimated
**EPA estimated
GMC Hummer EV
The GMC Hummer EV Pickup is not exactly an upcoming model, per se. Series production has commenced, however, initial availability is limited. High-volume deliveries will start once the production ramps up this year.
Series production of the GMC Hummer electric truck commenced in December 2021. Image – GMC
The GMC Hummer EV is the GM’s ultimate EV and its most capable off-roading vehicle. It’s a 1,000-horsepower pickup capable of an approximate 0-60 mph time of just 3 seconds, a GM-est. range of 329 miles, and 350 kW ultra-fast charging capability. With 35-inch tires, an 18-view camera system (UltraVision), on-demand same-direction four-wheel steering (CrabWalk), and up to 15.9 inches of ground clearance (Extract Mode), the super-truck is a beast on the trail.
TrimPriceReservationDelivery2USD 79,995OpenSpring 20242XUSD 89,995OpenSpring 20233XUSD 99,995OpenFall 2022Edition 1USD 110,295Closed (Full)December 2021
GMC Hummer EV Pickup prices and delivery timelines
The Hummer EV will not get an EPA certification for its range, but GM claims it has used EPA protocol for its testing to arrive at 329 miles (announced initially as 350+).
The CrabWalk feature of the GMC Hummer EV shows the four-wheel directional steering capability of the upcoming electric pickup. GM says this feature is tailor-made for off-roading and calls it industry-leading. This electric truck uses the Unreal Engine for its digital cockpit, making it the first vehicle from GM’s lineup to use the system.
GM manufactures the GMC Hummer electric truck at the Factory ZERO plant in Detroit (Michigan), USA, which was opened on November 17, 2021. In addition to the GMC Hummer EV pickup, it plans to produce the GMC Hummer EV SUV, the Chevy Silverado EV pickup, and the Cruise Origin self-driving, shared vehicle at the location. This production site should become home to a cluster of EVs from GM brands over the next four years.
According to GM’s Q4 2021 U.S. sales report, the company sold one unit of the Hummer EV pickup in the U.S. in 2021. This indicates that the delivery commencement announced on December 17, 2021, was only a formality. Initial production was probably in very low volumes to begin mass-level shipments.
Chevy Silverado Electric truck
The Chevy Silverado EV will lock horns with the Ford F-150 Lightning, which is coming to the market a year earlier and has already proved its popularity with nearly 200,000 reservations. Image Source: GM
The Chevrolet Silverado EV, initially referred to as Chevrolet BET Truck, is the brand’s first electric pickup. It will compete with the Ford F-150 Lightning, which goes on sale in the U.S. this spring.
The Chevy Silverado EV will be available with at least two different Ultium battery pack options. One of them will be a 24-module unit, probably related to the GMC Hummer EV Pickup’s largest battery pack. It should have an energy storage capacity of 200 kWh, which would be sufficient to offer GM’s estimated range – 400+ miles. With 350 kW of peak charging power support, the company expects just 10 minutes of DC charging to be enough to cover a distance of approx. 100 miles.
Like in Ford’s electric truck, a dual-motor powertrain is likely to be standard in the Silverado EV. GM has confirmed that one of the configurations will have up to 664 horsepower and more than 780 lb-ft of torque. This performance-oriented configuration will hit 0-60 mph in less than 4.5 seconds, although that’s an unverified, GM estimate at this point. Another configuration, targeted at fleet customers, will provide 20,000 pounds of towing capacity, with an optional Max Tow package. There’s plenty more to look forward to, including bidirectional charging, a 17-inch touchscreen infotainment system, an 11-inch virtual instrument cluster, a 14-inch head-up display, and more.
Release Date – Chevrolet Silverado EV reservations are open now, and GM has received 110,000+ pre-orders already. Deliveries of the Silverado EV Work Truck will start in early 2023, followed by the Silverado EV RST model in late 2023. Initially, the production will take place at the GM Factory Zero assembly plant in Detroit and Hamtramck (Michigan), USA. From 2024, the GM Orion Assembly plant (Michigan), USA, will also manufacture the electric truck.
Price – The Chevy Silverado electric truck is priced starting at USD 39,900 MSRP.
GMC Sierra electric truck
The GMC Sierra EV will be the brand’s second electric pickup following the GMC Hummer EV pickup. Image Source: GM
The GMC Sierra EV will be the brand’s second electric pickup after the Hummer EV Pickup. The teaser suggests that it will debut as a production-oriented concept sometime this year.
We imagine that the GMC electric truck would capitalize on the Ultium platform utilizing batteries with upwards of 100 kWh capacity to provide a range of 400+ miles, similar to the Silverado EV. The GMC version should offer a more luxurious interior with generous soft-touch plastics and leather/artificial vegan leather applications in the cabin. GMC may equip the Sierra EV with plenty of advanced tech features, including an 11-inch fully digital instrument cluster, an 18-inch touchscreen infotainment system, and a head-up display that screens content over 14-inches. A flat floor could be another highlight of the interior.
Release Date – The GMC Sierra electric truck should have its market launch in 2024, a year after the Silverado EV goes on sale. GM has confirmed that it will build the Sierra EV at its Orion Assembly plant (Michigan), USA, from 2024.
Price – To retain its premium positioning, the GMC Sierra EV should be priced over the Silverado EV, so expect a starting price in the vicinity of USD 55,000.
Ford F-150 Lightning
Ford’s current lineup of F-150 trucks are capable of operating in a hybrid mode. The F-150 Lightning takes things further by replacing the gasoline engine with an electric motor, while still keeping its capabilities. Image – Ford
One of the most anticipated upcoming electric pickup trucks, the Ford F-150 Lightning, has garnered nearly 200,000 reservations. The company has stopped taking reservations because of the overwhelming demand.
The standard range F-150 Lightning should see a travel range of 230 miles, whereas the extended-range model will target 300 miles (EPA estimates with 1,000 pounds of payload). However, the real-world range is likely to hit the 400-mile mark (without the payload), as seen in a video posted by YouTuber MKBHD and another published by InsideEVs.
Release Date – Customer deliveries of the Ford F-150 Lightning will start this spring. Ford has said that it will invite F-150 Lightning reservation holders for order confirmation “wave-by-wave.” If the 2022 F-150 Lightning is sold out, pending reservation holders would have to buy the 2023 F-150 Lightning. The Blue Oval plans to nearly double the annual production of the truck to 150,000 units, saying it’s doing everything it can to meet the overwhelming demand.
According to a report from Ford Authority, Ford will make customers buying the 2022 F-150 Lightning sign an agreement that bars them from selling it within a year of purchase in any possible way. The company is trying to keep scalpers away with this move.
Price – The base Ford F-150 electric truck costs USD 39,974, while prices go up to USD 90,474 for the range-topping configuration with all options.
2025 Ford F-150 Lightning
No, there is no error in our formatting. You aren’t reading F-150 twice! Here is the second generation Ford F-150 Lightning due in late 2025 based on Ford’s new TE1 platform. The TE1 platform will be exclusive to electric trucks and SUVs (with another GE2 platform earmarked for electric cars and crossovers), and as per a report from Reuters, Ford will target 160,000 units/annum of the TE1 based F-150 Electric truck.
For the current F-150 Lightning, Ford has to initially source batteries from LG Chem and SK Innovation. The expected high sales volumes (in addition to other TE1 and GE2 products) would justify Ford to build batteries in-house with a plant in North America.
Ionboost+
The next-gen F-150 Lightning could get the ‘IonBoost+’ lithium-ion batteries Ford plans to develop for large vehicles. The batteries will consist of unique pouch cells with NMC chemistry, featuring Ford’s proprietary battery control algorithm. The Nickel content in the cells will be high – 88%. The company claims that IonBoost+ will deliver the highest energy density for any cell of its type.
Ford Model e
Ford has reorganized its operations to speed up and smoothen the transition to EVs. The company has formed three new divisions, one for passenger EVs, one for passenger internal combustion engine vehicles, and one for all commercial vehicles, called Ford Model e, Ford Blue, and Ford Pro, respectively.
Ford Model e will take a “clean-sheet approach to designing, launching, and scaling, high-volume EVs,” presumably including the next-gen F-150 Lightning. Ford felt confident about creating a separate passenger EV division after the success of small, mission-driven internal teams that shaped some of its headline-making models in recent years like the second-gen GT, the Mustang Mach-E SUV, and the F-150 Lightning. Ford Pro will manage the commercial and governmental customers of ICE and all-electric Ford vehicles, offering them vehicles, charging, software, financing, services, and support.
According to an Automotive News report, Ford also wants dealers to make changes in the way they conduct business to streamline the transition to EVs. For one, the company wants them to sell electric vehicles at non-negotiable prices, at the MSRP mentioned on the sticker. Another change, and this one is in favor of dealers, is maintaining no vehicle inventory, which may significantly reduce their investment in facilities and bring down operating costs.
Ford Ranger EV
The new Ranger has moved to a design identity inherited from the Ford F-150. The Ranger EV and next-gen F-150 Lightning should share the TE1 platform with an evolutionary design shift. Image – Ford
The next-generation Ford Ranger was revealed late last year sporting a design inspired by the Ford F-150. Ford plans to have all commercial vehicles in Europe zero-emissions capable by 2024. Given that the Ranger is Europe’s best-selling pickup truck, hybrid and electric variants on the Ranger should be a no-brainer this decade.
In addition, the TE1 platform will spawn a mid-size pickup truck in the United States, Hau Thai-Tang, Chief Product Platform, and Operations Officer at Ford confirmed. The Ranger is listed as the Blue Oval’s mid-size pickup offering stateside.
Release Date – The Ford Ranger EV should be launched by the end of 2025, given Ford’s commitment to have its commercial vehicles electrified by that time.
Price – The Ranger Electric truck should be priced below the F-150 Lightning, which starts at USD 40,000. Expect a circa-USD 32,000 starting price for the Ranger EV.
Toyota Tacoma EV
The Toyota Electric truck will likely compete with the Ford Ranger EV. Image Source: Toyota Motor Corporation
Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) has confirmed that it plans to launch an electric truck this decade, and there’s a good chance that would happen within the first half. The company unveiled 17 Toyota and Lexus EV models in a mega-surprise EV strategy event in December 2021, and one of them was an electric pickup. Simply called ‘Toyota Pickup EV,’ the vehicle looked very close to a Tacoma. We assume that the Toyota Tacoma EV is a part of eight or more lifestyle EV models TMC plans to release this decade.
The Tacoma EV should be more advanced than the ICE Tacoma with better tech features. Woven Planet Holdings, a TMC subsidiary, is developing a vehicle software platform called Arene. TMC may use this newly developed software on the Tacoma EV. The company says that Arene will allow delivering new ideas to customers as quickly as possible.
Release Date – By 2025 (expected)
Price – USD 30,000-35,000 (expected)
Hyundai Electric truck
Seeing the popularity of electric truck models like the Cybertruck and the F-150 Lightning, and motivated by the success of its first pickup, the Santa Cruz, Hyundai is reportedly planning to launch a fully-electric model. This could be a Hyundai Santa Cruz EV, as several media reports have claimed since last year.
Hyundai Motor Company (HMC) President and CEO Jaehoon Chang may have hinted at a Hyundai electric truck at the company’s 2022 CEO Investor Day. Below is what he said while talking about the upcoming Hyundai electric vehicles:
By segment, we plan to launch 3 sedans, 6 SUVs, 1 small-sized commercial vehicle, and 1 other new vehicle type in the future.
Jaehoon Chang, President and CEO, Hyundai Motor Company (2022 CEO Investor Day on March 2, 2022)
The “other new type vehicle type” Chang spoke of was probably the electric pickup. Further, while talking about standardizing software architecture in the HMC’s EVs, Chang showed an outline of the pickup in a presentation slide. Normally, one would use the graphic to represent the variety of applications, but that might not be the case here.
Hyundai teased an electric truck at the 2022 CEO Investor Day when it showed silhouettes of segments. Image Source: YouTube/HyundaiWorldWide
The slide shows Hyundai’s current types of EVs with a high number of controllers in the “AS-IS” box and the company’s future EVs with fewer controllers in the “TO-BE” box. Apparently, the Hyundai EV family with the current EV technology that requires a high number of controllers will include hatchback, SUV, and pickup models, and with the new EV technology that reduces the number of controllers, grow to include electric sports car and crossover models in the future.
Release Date: By 2030
Bespoke Kia Electric Truck
At Kia’s 2022 CEO Investor Day, Ho Sung Song, its President and CEO, didn’t pull any punches. He announced that Kia will launch a bespoke electric pickup truck. The company wants to build a line-up of 14 electric vehicles, as against the previously announced 11, and the dedicated Kia electric pickup is one of the three newly confirmed models.
Release Date: 2026
At the CEO Investor day in March 2022, Kia confirmed the launch of 2 models in the electric pickup truck segment by 2026. Image: Kia
Strategic Kia electric truck
Where the dedicated electric truck could serve the U.S. and Canada, and maybe even European countries, while for emerging markets, a low-cost and less-advanced pickup could suit the requirements of customers. One of the three additional Kia EVs confirmed this year is an “emerging market EV pickup,” Kia’s President and CEO added in his 2022 CEO Investor Day speech.
Release Date: 2026
Study shows 43% interested in owning electric pickups
A research project conducted by CarGurus (pdf file), an automotive research firm based out of Massachusetts, Boston, has concluded that 43% of pickup truck owners wish to own an electric pickup truck within the next ten years. The firm studied 1,026 pickup truck owners for its Pick Up Truck Sentiment Q4 2021 survey, where owners spoke about brands, prices, electric pickups, and the Covid-19 impact.
The CarGurus report advises dealerships to “educate staff on how to talk about electric trucks.” Image: Ford
In the Favorite Tech Truck category, 45% of owners voted for the Tesla Cybertruck, and only 19% vouched for the Rivian R1T. Interest in electric trucks has sharply risen. 34% were interested in buying an electric truck in 2020, but now 43% are hoping to own one before 2031. Half of these owners were millennials between 25-39 years of age. The study also says that demand has remained high for electric and ICE powered pickups despite tricky economic conditions.
The report also sheds light on brand perceptions. It says, “Rivian has a long way to go with consumer awareness and perceptions,” while Tesla is known to be the “industry tech leader.” Other brands also have plenty of growth potential, according to CarGurus, as buyers showed flexibility towards electric trucks like the Ford F-150 Lightning or Chevrolet Silverado EV.
Audi Electric Truck
Audi’s electric off-roader concept, the Audi AI:Trail quattro at IAA 2019. Image used for representative purpose only. Image Source: Audi
Audi may soon enter uncharted waters after CEO Markus Duesmann told Autocar on March 17, 2022, that the brand is looking into the possibility of an electric pickup. The CEO confirmed that Audi would present ‘something’ shortly, possibly a concept to gauge customer reaction. Autocar speculates that the German luxury carmaker can benefit from parent company VW’s resources. The incoming VW Amarok is based on the the Ford Ranger as part of a strategic partnership between the American and German brands.
Given that Audi will take its time to launch the product, the electric truck may use VW’s MEB or PPE platforms. It could also benefit from Ford’s technical expertise in the pickup truck domain. However, don’t expect the Audi pickup to be a workhorse. Not to say that it won’t be capable, but it’s likely to be a Rivian R1T rival, something that’s luxurious and lifestyle oriented.
Featured image: Ford
Keyword: 14 Real & Exciting future electric truck models (2022-2026)