DETROIT: Tesla CEO Elon Musk and his spacy Cybertruck have ignited a frenzy over electric pickups, and at least seven other U.S. automakers expect to build new battery-powered trucks by 2021.Companies ranging from General Motors Co to startup Lordstown Motors Corp have said they plan to introduce electric pickups over the next two years, and are scheduled to build up to 250,000 a year by 2024, according to industry analysts.
If demand falls that far short of production targets,"there are going to be a lot of auto execs crying in their beer," predicts IHS Markit analyst Joe Langley. Many of the EV pickups are being touted by newcomers, including Bollinger Motors and Hercules Electric Vehicles, both based in the Detroit area, and Atlis Motor Vehicles, in Mesa, Arizona. Projected prices range from US$45,000 to US$125,000.
Perhaps the most important new electric pickup is the R1T from well-funded newcomer Rivian, the Michigan startup that includes Ford Motor Co and Amazon.com Inc among its investors.