Elon Musk and Tesla kick-started the modern electric car movement in 2012 with the launch of the Tesla Model S. Since then, mainstream automakers and more startups that we can count on two hands have been reaching for their piece of the pie. Over the course of a decade, we’ve seen an onslaught of electric cars, electric SUVs and crossovers, and even electric supercars. Until recently, one big segment was missing from the EV market: Pickup trucks. It wasn’t until 2021 when Rivian launched the first fully electric pickup, the R1T, beating Ford, Ram, Chevy, and even the Tesla Cybertruck to market.
Now, however, Ford has the F-150 Lightning, Chevy has the Silverado EV, and Ram is about to launch its electric pickup truck in the near future. The long-awaited Tesla Cybertruck is expected to hit production in 2023, too. We could argue for days about what took so long for electric pickups to hit the market, but at the end of the day, even with a wide range of electric pickup trucks to choose from, the electric truck market might not take off as fast as one would think. A new study from Americantrucks.com has revealed that just 2 percent of truck drivers see themselves going electric in the next year, and it could take as long as 2–6 years just for 35 percent of the current truck-driving population to make the switch to electric trucks. The reasons holding people back, however, might surprise you.
Electric Truck Adoption: A Major Gap In Acceptance
The study conducted by Americantrucks.com surveyed 458 American drivers, with 60 percent of them being pickup truck drivers and the remaining 40 percent being non-truck drivers. As it turns out, the electric truck segment will kick off much like the electric car and crossover segment: people will be slow to accept electric trucks at first. According to the study, only 35 percent of electric truck drivers are considering switching to an electric truck, and 25 percent of those that are considering the switch are uncertain about when they’ll do so, but 9 percent of truck drivers say they will never consider an electric truck.
If you’re wondering how long it will take for electric trucks to be more widely used than fuel-powered trucks, 44 percent of current truck owners believe it’ll happen in 10 years, while 52 percent of non-truck drivers think it’ll happen in the same time frame. Oddly enough, 10 percent of truck drivers see the tides turning in the next 5 years, while 23 percent of non-truck drivers think the five-year mark will be the major turning point.
What’s Holding People Back From Buying Electric Trucks
Considering that pickup trucks are used just as much for work and utility as they are for daily driving, it would be easy to assume that towing capacity, range when towing, and payload capacity would be major deciding factors. The survey by Americantrucks.com, however, has concluded that electric pickups will suffer from the same skepticism as electric cars did a decade ago. In short, 35 percent of truck owners admit that range anxiety is a significant concern in their decision to go electric. Those currently driving pickup trucks say they need 292 miles per charge, while non-truck drivers want at least 244 miles of range.
While range is a primary concern, cheaper charging and being more affordable than gas-powered alternatives also fall high on the list of considerations, and believe it or not, only 19 percent of current truck drivers will need to see better towing capabilities in order to consider making the switch.
The Elephant In The Room: Is The Tesla Cybertruck Really A Truck?
Side view of a Tesla Cybertruck indoors with lights on
We’ve heard it before and will hear it again: the Tesla Cybertruck isn’t a real pickup truck. But is that really the case? According to the very same study, 56 percent of truck drivers and 49 percent of non-truck drivers say it is, in fact, a real truck. Of non-truck drivers, nearly 40 percent are actually interested in buying the Cybertruck, and it is the most desired among this bunch, with the F-150 Lightning coming in second and the Toyota Tacoma EV coming in third. As no surprise, the F-150 Lighting is the most desirable among current truck drivers, but surprisingly, the Cybertruck is more desirable than the Silverado EV
Growth Of The Electric Pickup Truck Market
It won’t be long before there are plenty of electric pickup trucks on the market, and with new advances in battery technology, growth of charging infrastructure, and more widespread acceptance of EVs in general, the electric pickup truck segment looks to have a promising future. This particular study, while fairly small with less than 500 participants, shines light on what issues the manufacturers of electric pickup trucks will face over the next decade. The final conclusion is that range anxiety is, once again, one of the biggest obstacles to overcome – something goes to show that in terms of going electric, pickup trucks, crossovers, and cars, and their respective customer bases, aren’t all that different after all.
