Pickup of the Future?

[3855WIN]

Detroit Three have a new competitor in the electric pickup war — it's called Endurance

Lordstown CEO Steve Burns says the Endurance will be first to hit the all-electric pickup market and it has an advantage against the Detroit Three.

www.usatoday.com

 

[Mudranger1]

It won't happen til they can make the batteries last longer and handle real world conditions which drastically reduce that 250 mile charge range. Not to mention charging stations outside major metro areas

 

[Big Sky Guy]

It won't happen til they can make the batteries last longer and handle real world conditions which drastically reduce that 250 mile charge range. Not to mention charging stations outside major metro areas

I think having a standardized interchangeable battery system will be paramount to charging stations. People driving long distances aren’t going to want to stop and wait for a charge, but if they can develop and market a battery that is easily removed and replaced with a fully charged one then I think the electric industry could take off.

I always find it interesting electric vehicles are touted as great for the environment, but if they are using electricity from a coal fired energy plant what is the real net carbon savings, if any? Sure they might not put pollution directly into the air but the source of electricity never gets mentioned in this discussion.

Price point seems fair to me, especially with the tax credit.

 

[NDGuy]

250 mile range...that's a no from me dog.

Until there are charging stations in the backwoods, no way I could buy an electric truck.

 

[3855WIN]

I wouldn’t take that model to market until it had a 400 mile range. The 250 range is just too limiting.
But it sure would be nice to ease down the back roads in silence.

 

[marshman]

I wouldn’t take that model to market until it had a 400 mile range. The 250 range is just too limiting.
But it sure would be nice to ease down the back roads in silence.

I think that would at least have something over the diesels out there that sound like a logging truck coming up the road.

 

[Straight Arrow]

250 mile range...that's a no from me dog.

Until there are charging stations in the backwoods, no way I could buy an electric truck.

Current bushes?

 

[pre6422hornet]

I couldn't agree with you guys more. 250 isn't enough for me, or us. But the data says that the average American drives 70 miles a day which is what the Auto Manufacturers are banking on. And also remember the "range" is just that, just like the EPA MPG.

I currently work for Audi of North America as a Factory Rep. You can literally jump into an Etron on a full charge, have 210 mile range, and start playing with seat heaters, A/C, wipers, etc.. and the range will drop 20-30 miles instantly.

I really like the electric vehicles for metro commuting, but get out past that and my interest level drops

 

[Ben Lamb]

Sounds like they're going for fleet sales. Most of those trucks aren't otr or long haul rigs that need a 400 mile charge. 250 miles would last a few days for a rig that's used for work.

 

[BuzzH]

Sounds like they're going for fleet sales. Most of those trucks aren't otr or long haul rigs that need a 400 mile charge. 250 miles would last a few days for a rig that's used for work.

For some work yes, for other work, no. Would be tough for me to be limited to 250 miles probably 25% or more of my work days.

 

[Irrelevant]

Considering I've never heard of them, I'm going to take a hard pass. Rivian has been in the news for 3 years without a truck, but I'd bet when we do see one, it'll have enough of the kinks worked out to be competitive. Not so sure about these guys.

 

[Brandon270]

I think having a standardized interchangeable battery system will be paramount to charging stations. People driving long distances aren’t going to want to stop and wait for a charge, but if they can develop and market a battery that is easily removed and replaced with a fully charged one then I think the electric industry could take off.

I always find it interesting electric vehicles are touted as great for the environment, but if they are using electricity from a coal fired energy plant what is the real net carbon savings, if any? Sure they might not put pollution directly into the air but the source of electricity never gets mentioned in this discussion.

Price point seems fair to me, especially with the tax credit.

The long wait time for recharging is the killer for these electric vehicles whether they have long range capability or not. There was a video I saw last summer of a huge line of Teslas probably 100+ waiting in line at a charging station off of the I-5. It's convenient until you're waiting hours to recharge and have no other option because that's the only station for miles.

On the environmental aspect I totally agree. People seem to only think about the car itself isn't producing emmisions, but take a trip in the eastern deserts here and there are huge natural gas powered co-gens producing a lot of energy locally. Other than hydro everything creates emmisions or waste if some kind.

On the flip side I can see these being used as local fleet vehicles that can be charged everyday over night.

 

[Mudranger1]

Sounds like they're going for fleet sales. Most of those trucks aren't otr or long haul rigs that need a 400 mile charge. 250 miles would last a few days for a rig that's used for work.

we can read Ben lol just kidding ..they also said it was gonna be the best mud truck ever made! (maybe a slight exaggeration)

 

[MO Betta]

It might work for a commuter fleet, but how much does towing or a full bed drag down that already low range?

There are a bunch of quotes from the CEO on that article that give me pause, like how there isn't an engine that breaks down and requires maintenance. No, there are 4 motors instead, a slew of expensive batteries that will need to be replaced (probably right at the time the fleet goes to the pre-owned market, killing resale), software quirks and issues with updates (anyone in the technology world is familiar with "Patch Tuesday"), not to mention this is a first time automaker, with their first model, and the first owners will be real world beta testers. I know this argument is similar to what was probably used when Tesla entered the market, but that was a LOT of money dumped in to get them going and set up a charging infrastructure. I'm still not sold on Tesla.

E-vehicles are making constant advancements, and if battery technology evolves enough to give these vehicles serious range in a small footprint (even better if the materials aren't rare or toxic) then we may see it overtake IC engines. The instantly available max torque is a nice benefit.

I'd be apprehensive about buying from this company. You'll have to hope they aren't knockers up in a couple years when Tesla and the big 3 come into the market. GM loaning the startup money to them might help them last, maybe they have plans to buy the company or have terms that lets them absorb the company should they default.

 

[pre6422hornet]

I think having a standardized interchangeable battery system will be paramount to charging stations. People driving long distances aren’t going to want to stop and wait for a charge, but if they can develop and market a battery that is easily removed and replaced with a fully charged one then I think the electric industry could take off.

I always find it interesting electric vehicles are touted as great for the environment, but if they are using electricity from a coal fired energy plant what is the real net carbon savings, if any? Sure they might not put pollution directly into the air but the source of electricity never gets mentioned in this discussion.

Price point seems fair to me, especially with the tax credit.

Okay so I am full of interesting ( maybe) facts about electric vehicles today.

The average gas station "stop" is between 11-15 minutes for the average consumer. Gas, favorite beverage, pack of smokes, grab a snack, etc.. all goes into this research ( people actually sitting at gas stations timing the actual event). We are currently working to be able to drop a full charge on a Ultra Fast DC charger down to the 15 minute recharge rate.

And yeah I chuckle regarding the clean operation of the vehicles. I always envision a black smoke pouring out of the stacks as the lightning bolts of energy are transferred back to the vehicle.

 

[Brandon270]

This isn't an everyday occurrence, but on a busy holiday weekend....

 

[Ben Lamb]

we can read Ben lol just kidding ..they also said it was gonna be the best mud truck ever made! (maybe a slight exaggeration)

1.) Mud exists outside of two tracks, especially at job sites & in rural locations, even seen it in the city from time to time, but it usually smells like pee & french cheese.

2.) Given the discussion, it seemed to me most people didn't take the fleet sale into consideration, as they were planning their death defying stunts on the backroads of America's public lands, so just making sure people understood there's more than one application for the vehicle.

3.) I still hate lists.

 

[Ben Lamb]

For some work yes, for other work, no. Would be tough for me to be limited to 250 miles probably 25% or more of my work days.

Very true. But for a city that needs to replace say a fleet of parks vehicles, or a delivery service that only runs in town, these would be fine. 20% of the market is in light fleet vehicles.

 

[MTGomer]

These will never improve and will always be exactly the way they are today. Technology is stagnant. Just ask the guys that can’t see the issues with electric motorcycles on non motorized trials.

 

[Scrappy]

The whole article is written as if we are all standing in line with our money waiting on them to come out of the factory. I'm totally not interested in one the least at this point. I won't be interested in one until it runs on unicorn farts.