San Joaquin Valley Clean Energy Organization

View Original

Technology Tuesdays: Where Are All the Electric Trucks?

Hello Partners, Happy Earth Day!!!

Earth Day is coming up on Friday and it is such a special time of the year. It is special because we have the opportunity, to take a moment to appreciate the Earth and all of the wonderful things it offers us each day. We also have the opportunity to educate people on the things we can do to help preserve our resources. In light of how much fun we tend to have on Earth Day, I thought I would take a moment to talk about something fun for Technology Tuesday. Something most people get excited about.

To begin that conversation, I would like to ask the question, “Where are all the electric trucks?”

Like many people, I am excited about a future where we are all driving around in electric vehicles. However, like many of those same people, I believe electric vehicles must be able to do the same things fuel combustion vehicles currently do to get my buy-in, literally and figuratively.

What do I mean? Well, most plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEV) and especially all-electric vehicles that have become available in recent years are small, compact-sized, commuter-type vehicles. The larger PHEVs and all-electric vehicles are so expensive that they price the average American household right out of the market and trucks are simply non-existent. This has been so discouraging as I have eagerly awaited an all-electric vehicle that would be practical for a family or to haul things in. So, I suppose you can say that for the past 10 years I have been asking, “Where are all the electric trucks?”

It appears the wait is nearly over.

2022 and 2023 is shaping up to be the season of the all-electric truck and SUV. The spring of 2022 is seeing the first deliveries of the all-electric Rivian R1T pick-up truck as well as the all-electric GMC Hummer EV. Rivian is a brand-new carmaker and the original GMC Hummer was a gas guzzler which was discontinued in 2010. Another exciting release in 2022 is the Ford F150 Lighting. Demand for this vehicle has been such that Ford has had to expand their operations to meet the amount of pre-sales.

Things are not expected to slow down in 2023. We will see the Chevrolet Silverado EV as well as the GMC Sierra EV. Some other carmakers that have announced EV trucks but their timelines are a bit less concrete include Tesla with the announcement of its Tesla Cybertruck, Lordstown with the announcement of the Lordstown Endurance, and Toyota with the EV version of one of its most popular and iconic trucks, the Toyota Tacoma.

EVs is a topic we rarely talk about for Technology Tuesdays because they already receive such an abondance of coverage in the media. However, these developments were too exciting not to share. We are looking forward to what is on the horizon over the next 18 to 24 months in the EV space and equally as excited to be sharing this news around Earth Day. Happy Earth Day everyone!

The savings never stop!

Connect with us:
T (877) 748-0841
E INFO@SJVCLEANENERGY.ORG

Check out our website!
WWW.SJVCEO.ORG

Sources:
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a29890843/full-electric-pickup-trucks/
https://betterenergy.org/blog/the-medium-and-heavy-duty-electric-vehicle-market-plugging-into-the-future-part-i/