Top 8 Hybrid and Electric Pickup Trucks Worth Waiting For

Automakers from Ford to General Motors to Volkswagen have sharpened their focus on electrified production vehicles of late, with the ever-popular American pickup truck segment being an area of particular interest. Numerous automobile marques have announced plans to produce hybrid or fully electric pickup truck models in the coming years, including not only well-established carmakers like the aforementioned, but a handful of relative newcomers, too.

Here, we take a look at the top eight confirmed future hybrid and electric pickup truck models worth waiting for.

For several years now, Ford has indicated that a pure-electric version of its best-selling F-150 pickup might be on the horizon. The automaker finally, officially confirmed its 2022 F-150 Lightning earlier this year. With upwards of 563 hp, the Lightning should be able travel either 230 or 300 miles on a single charge depending on which version of the truck is selected.

What’s more, this will still be a real pick-up truck ready for work, capable of carrying 1,800 lbs. or payload with a 10,000 lbs. towing capacity. The coolest trick though may be the front ‘trunk’ that further bolsters the F-150’s carrying capacity.

With so many forthcoming electric vehicles playing up the whole “futurism” thing, it’s refreshing to see a future electric pickup truck with a more retro sense of style, even if it is an expensive, $125,000 monster of a product. The Bollinger B2 is the pickup version of Bollinger’s planned B1 SUV, with superlative performance targets—668 lb-ft of torque, 5,000 pounds of payload capacity, 4.5 seconds to 60 mph—and a simple-yet-classically-handsome appearance that looks like it’s straight from the SEMA Show floor.

Rivian is what happens when a doctor of mechanical engineering from MIT decides to start an electric automobile company, setting the company’s sights on producing a cutting-edge electric pickup truck (and a heavily related SUV). Unveiled at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show, the Rivian R1T has recently gone on sale with a starting price of $67,500 USD ($90,000 CAD) and a maximum range over 400 miles (640 km).

To wit, the most capable variant of Tesla’s Cybertruck is targeting up to 14,000 pounds of towing capacity, 500 miles of battery range, and a 0-to-60 time of under three seconds—all tremendous figures. What’s more, the Cybertruck will feature an adjustable air suspension capable of extending ground clearance up to 16 inches. But its “dent-proof” body is its real pièce de résistance, and the reason for its absurd styling: according to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the 30X cold-rolled stainless that makes up the Cybertruck’s body can’t be stamped. Rather, it has to be scored and then bent into shape, hence the Cybertruck’s simple, angular appearance.

Tesla Cybertruck recently has disappeared off of the company’s USA website, so waiting for one might become an infinite proposition.

The roots of the Lordstown Motors Corporation (LMC) Endurance hybrid-electric pickup truck actually stretch further back than most of the vehicles on this list. Originally named the “ Workhorse W-15“, the truck was planned for production in 2018 before setbacks pushed its launch back by a couple of years. Now, the LMC Endurance is targeting a 2022 launch, with production to take place at GM’s old Lordstown, Ohio assembly plant—a shuttered facility that Workhorse purchased in November, 2019.

The LMC Endurance is a bit different from the other models listed here in that its primary target is work fleets, not individual consumers. Moreover, it will pack a total of four electric motors—one for each wheel—and its battery pack will provide some real endurance, with a targeted 250 miles of range on a full charge. Recent controversies surrounding the Endurance has its future unknown.

If all goes according to plan, the Hummer EV should be on sale towards the end of 2022, or early 2023 at the latest. Hummer has never been known for doing things small, and the colossal EV will be no different. With a curb weight over 9,000 lbs, the truck boasts 1,000 hp and 11,500 lb-ft of torque. This is good enough to pushed the behemoth from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.0 seconds.

More of an off-roader than a work truck, the Hummer EV is sure to make its presence felt when launch next year.

To complement the Hummer EV, General Motors has also announced that a secondary all-electric pickup truck will be coming out in 2023 – the Chevrolet Silverado Electric Pickup. A more traditionally sized pickup truck, expect the Silverado to not be as outrageous as the Hummer EV.

Although details are scarce at this time, it is expected that the Silverado EV will be competitive with the likes of the Ford F-150 Lightning. Chevrolet has already announced the truck plans to have over 400 miles of range and that it will include the return of four-wheel steering.

The most mysterious of the models on this list, Karma Automotive seems poised to introduce an electric pickup truck with a gasoline range extender. It was teased at around the same time that Tesla Motors was preparing to unveil its new Cybertruck, and we have no real details beyond a shadowy teaser image released with a company press release about Karma’s duo of planned vehicle platforms.

Karma appears to be betting that its business would be more viable were it to design and license vehicle platforms to other automakers, rather than relying solely on its own new vehicle sales. As such, there’s some question as to just how serious Karma is about building the pickup truck it teased, not to mention how far the truck is from production. The image depicts a showy, futuristic-looking truck from about the beltline up, and the vehicle appears to have a very long cabin and a short bed.

If the truck does arrive—and that’s rather a big “if”—expect plug-in charging capability, a comparatively small battery pack, all-wheel drive, and an onboard gasoline engine providing hundreds of miles of extra range. We’ll get a likely taste of what it could look like when the similar Ocean all-electric crossover breaks cover in January 2020.

Recent Updates:

November 5th, 2021 – updated Ford F-150 Lightning with newer information and accuracy. Removed Ford F-150 Hybrid. Updated Rivian R1T for accuracy. Updated Tesla Cybertruck for accuracy. Updated the LMC Endurance for accuracy. Added the Hummer EV. Added Chevrolet Silverado EV