Automakers are attracting traditional customers with full-size electric trucks, but midsize EV pickups might be enough for many customers.
Ford- Whatever the size of an all-electric pickup truck, its towing capacity could prove troublesome.
- In a recent test of a Ford F-150 Lightning (pictured above) pulling a 23-foot Airstream trailer, the pickup lost about half its range, according to Electrek.
- If electric self-propelled trailers catch on, the size of your tow vehicle may not matter very much.
Suburban cowboys and cowgirls have embraced the bloating of full-size pickup trucks for the last quarter century. Modern “mid-size” trucks such as the Ford Ranger and Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon are closer in size to the Ford F-150s and Silverado/Sierras of the late 1990s.
Intentionally or not, the EPA’s “footprint” formula, which ties a vehicle’s wheelbase length and track width to its required fuel-economy improvement, gives automakers an advantage to selling more full-size trucks than midsize trucks ahead of the federal 49-mpg 2026 Corporate Average Fuel Economy standard.
But the footprint rule is basically moot if automakers sell a sufficient number of battery electric-powered pickups.
The all-electric F-150 Lightning 4WD’s 76/61 city/highway mpg-e EPA rating moves the big truck to the plus-side as Ford Motor calculates its overall standing with CAFE 2026. Same is true for the extended-range version of the F-150 Lightning (at 78/63 mpg-e) as well as the Platinum 4WD variant (73/60 mpg-e).
The Lightning is 232.7 inches long on a 145.5-inch wheelbase, and 83.6 inches tall. The Rivian R1T is 217.1 inches long on a 135.8-inch wheelbase, and 78.2 inches tall, and yet its 74/66 mpg-e EPA estimates are topped in city driving by the much-larger Lightning. Range is similar: 230-320 miles for the Lightning, versus 314 miles for the R1T, while the Rivian’s maximum towing capability is 11,000 pounds, 1,000 pounds better than the Ford’s max.
All-electric Rivian R1T pickup trucks.
Elliot Ross
“The Rivian R1T is just five inches longer than a Ranger and seven inches shorter than the longest Colorado/Canyon,” says Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting for AutoForecast Solutions, which expects Rivian’s next pickup, the R2T, to be a larger, full-size truck for North America. Its first model for the European market more than likely will be a midsize delivery van.
The next big EV truck for the U.S. (after the Chevy Silverado EV next year) is expected to be a Ram (debuting in concept form this fall, then launching in 2024), perhaps followed by a Toyota Tundra EV.
But before that, Toyota could launch a smaller Tacoma EV, which should be followed by a slew of similarly sized battery-electric pickups: In 2026, Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon, Kia and Hyundai unibody EV pickups; and an EV replacement for the Honda Ridgeline. A Ford Ranger EV is in the planning stages, Fiorani says, and arrives no earlier than 2027.
Whatever the size of the truck, its towing capacity could prove troublesome. While the advertised tow ratings of the midsize Rivian and full-size Ford are in the same ballpark as full-size half-ton models, that capacity doesn’t travel far.
In a test last month of a Ford F-150 Lightning pulling a 23-foot Airstream trailer, the pickup lost about half its range, according to Electrek. That’s not unexpected and no worse than lowered fuel mileage from towing with a combustion-engine truck, though a truck stop to recharge the EV will take far longer than the 20 minutes it would take to refill a 25-gallon tank with gas or diesel.
F-150 Lightning Pro charges up.
Ford
Enter another emerging sub-industry: electric self-propelled trailers. German travel trailer and motorhome maker Dethleffs, to name one, has designed its E.Home Caravan (recreational vehicle) with batteries tucked inside the inner frame and its inverter charging unit and control unit mounted to its outer frame. Apply this technology to a variety of trailer styles, and the size of your tow vehicle may not matter very much.
Could smaller EV trucks be the next big thing? Depends on how quickly the market shifts from ICE trucks toward BEV trucks, Fiorani says. And it depends how much towing will be demanded by shoppers buying EV pickups. But consider this: If midsize BEVs provide towing capacities competitive with full-size pickups, why not choose a model that better fits urban/suburban roads and parking lots? If your trailer isn’t that big, why opt for a full-size truck?
Keyword: Why Midsize EV Pickup Trucks Are the Next Big Thing