The $100K electric truck market is here | Real Time Headlines

Detroit – Tesla, General Motors, Rivian Cars and Ford Motor Company A new market has been created in the U.S. auto industry for expensive, powerful, and unstable electric pickup trucks priced at $100,000 or more.

Just five years ago, the idea of ​​customers paying six figures for a pickup truck, historically a work vehicle used for hauling and towing, raised eyebrows. Make national headlines. But it’s quickly becoming normal as automakers try to increase profits on traditional trucks and only make profits on electric trucks.

“Customers are willing to spend money, so automakers are offering it to them,” said Stephanie Brinley, chief automotive analyst at S&P Global Mobility. “In general, pickup trucks come with more equipment. , better features and better materials really reflect the attitude of consumers who want more.”

But compared to a traditional $100,000 internal combustion engine pickup truck, electric trucks cost more, in part because of their technology, including expensive batteries Needed to power the vehicle.

“If you think about who is actually buying these new electric vehicles, it’s definitely a different demographic for (automakers),” said Stephanie Valdez Streaty, director of automotive industry insights at Cox. “These are very expensive, Very niche vehicle. “

There are several electric trucks currently available for purchase in the U.S. market: Tesla CybertruckFord F-150 Lightning, Rivian R1T and General Motors Corporation’s GMC Hummer EV, GMC Sierra Denali and Chevrolet Silverado. The GMC Hummer and Rivian also have SUV versions, which have similar functions to pickup models, but in different forms.

All of these vehicles are priced close to or easily over $100,000, including the Tesla “Cyber​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​, priced at around $120,000, and the limited edition GMC Hummer priced at more than $150,000. Kelley Blue Book Report two vehicles Transacting for more than $100,000 last month, the Tesla Cybertruck became the best-selling vehicle in the U.S. priced at six figures or more.

By comparison, the average price of a traditional full-size pickup truck is $65,713, including an average discount incentive of 7%, According to Kelley Blue Book.

Overall, the electric “truck” market, which includes SUVs, sold nearly 58,000 vehicles in the first half of this year, according to Motor Intelligence estimates. Data show that this proportion is less than 1% of the approximately 7.9 million new light vehicles sold in the United States during the same period, but an increase of 35% from the first quarter to the second quarter.

The market is expected to continue to grow, but so far I’ve driven each $100,000 vehicle for varying amounts of time. They all ride and handle well, but in different ways. Here are some thoughts for each question:

Tesla Cybertruck unique Almost all aspects – design, functionality, polarization and features.

It’s more like “network” than “truck”. It does have some truck features, like a pickup bed and other practical features, but it’s not a truck in any traditional sense.

The Cybertruck features a compact steering system that includes a joystick and a “steer-by-wire” system; a rigid sports car-like chassis; and although casual, the design is more form than function, which has historically been one of the top reasons to buy a pickup truck. one.

Like its GM rivals, the Cybertruck features “four-wheel steering,” in which all of the vehicle’s wheels help steer. It makes large vehicles easier to maneuver than traditional vehicles that turn on two wheels.

What the Tesla Cybertruck lacks in traditional “truckness,” it makes up for in technology and the human-machine interface (HMI) of the vehicle and driver.

The vehicle can be described as a technological experiment for the company in many ways.

• advantage: Design, technology, software, weight (lowest in class), four-wheel steering
• shortcoming: Design, bed usage, interior space and quality

Driving a vehicle, whether on or off-road, is an experience. General Motors calls it a “world’s first”super truck. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The SUV version is smaller and easier to drive than the pickup version.

Both Hummer models carry the burden of GM’s rapid automotive development. They’re heavy compared to all other consumer vehicles on the market today, including their all-electric truck counterparts (estimated pickup trucks weigh nearly 9,200 pounds).

While the Hummer EV can hit 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds or less and its performance parts are very capable, the vehicle’s weight could easily be reduced The feeling of driving them.

GM’s designers have done a good job modernizing the exterior design of the new electric Hummer, including the ability to remove the roof panels. But the interior feels very bulky like the vehicle itself.

• advantage: Design, features, durability, four-wheel steering, hands-free Super Cruise advanced driver assistance system
• shortcoming: Design, efficiency, spacious interior, range

GM’s latest all-electric pickup truck is Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Serra de Bally, Both offer high-end models priced at nearly $100,000.

While the GM design team has done a great job of differentiating the looks of the vehicles to appeal to their respective brands, the vehicles’ parts and features are essentially the same.

Both cars have an EPA-rated range of 440 miles and offer up to 754 horsepower and 785 pound-feet of torque. Importantly for many truck customers, they can also tow up to 10,000 pounds and can be charged 100 miles in about 10 minutes using a DC fast charger (provided you can find a compatible charger).

The Sierra is more refined and luxurious than its Chevy counterpart: It has open-pore wood, a larger overall screen, GMC’s “Crab Mode” and four-wheel steering (shared with the Hummer), among other features.

A unique standout feature of the Silverado and Sierra EV compared to other electric vehicles is the “midgate” feature, in which the vehicle’s rear seats fold down and the rear glass can be opened to create a nearly 11-foot-long truck bed and segment Leading cargo area.

Both the Silverado and Sierra EVs drive well and feel like a “truck,” but are also significantly heavier than their non-GM rivals.

• advantage: Capacity, charging speed, range, super cruise, mid-door, four-wheel steering
• shortcoming: Efficiency, interior (mostly Silverado), weight

this second generation vehiclesProducts released earlier this year improve the truck’s ride and quality. The R1S’s driving experience is noticeably smoother than the first-generation vehicle.

While the exterior design of the second-generation vehicles remains largely unchanged, Rivian says they have 10 times the computing power of their predecessors. The company also replaced more than half of the hardware components.

Where the R1T and R1S really stand out is their interior design. They’re minimalist, much like Tesla products, but still have enough other controls to appease mainstream traditional buyers. The functionality and HMI are also impressive.

• advantage: design, software, interior
• shortcoming: Charging speed capability, no four-wheel steering, advanced driver assistance systems

With prices ranging up to $90,000, the F-150 Lightning is still a solid vehicle, but there’s a lot more competition for buyers looking to spend around $100,000 or more than it was with the F-150 Lightning. The truck launches in 2022.