What do these electric trucks look like on paper?
Electric trucks are hot right now. Some of these pickups will soon be available in dealerships by 2021. Others will arrive in 2019 and two more in the future.
There are so many choices, it’s easy to wonder if an EV truck is worth the investment. It’s difficult to say which one is the best until we have all of them in a single place. We can, however, look at the specifications sheet and review the stats to get a sense of what each product offers.
The Chevrolet Silverado EV was the latest addition to the list, making its virtual debut at the 2021 CES Show in Las Vegas last week. But the list of contenders also includes the Ford F-150 Lightning, the GMC Hummer EV, the yet-to-reach-production Tesla Cybertruck, and the Rivian R1T. Let’s compare them.
What is the cost of these battery-powered trucks? These trucks, such as the Rivian or Hummer, may not be affordable to everyone, but they come with a lot of features that are not available in the cheaper trucks. The R1T is priced at $67,500 in the base Explore trim and $73,000 for the Adventure model. GMC Hummer EV Edition 1 starts at $108,700. The base model will go on sale spring 2024 at $79,995
The Tesla Cybertruck is more affordable and has a starting price of $39900 for its single-motor, rear wheel-drive base model. If that’s still possible. The Ford Lightning Pro is priced at $39,974 (before taxes and fees of $1,695), with the Platinum trim costing $90,874. Silverado EV will go on sale at $39,900 for the base Work Truck trim, and $1056,000 for its top-end RST version.
The only trucks to make it to customers in 2021, as far as availability goes, are the GMC Hummer EV (or Rivian R1T) and the GMC Hummer EV (or GMC Hummer EV). Technically, Hummer sold only one (1) Hummer in 2021. The Lightning should be on the road in the middle of this year, but we’ll have to wait until the second two.
After months of delays, Tesla claims that the Cybertruck’s first production runs will begin sometime in 2018. Chevrolet also stated that the First Edition Silverado EV Silverado EV variants will be available to customers by 2023, while the rest won’t arrive until at least 2024.
Capacity and Range
You want to know the power source of each machine. The Silverado EV’s and the GMC Hummer’s use GM’s new Ultium batteries. Chevy has not yet released details about the Silverado EV’s total capacity. However, it can be assumed that it is the same 200.0 kilowatt hours as the Hummer in its top-spec RST trim. Chevy claims that the base Work Truck will have a smaller capacity and battery pack.
Two battery capacities are available for the base Ford Lightning. According to the company, the usable capacity is 98.0-kWh in base and 131.0-kWh upper trims. The gross capacity for extended-range models is estimated at 110.0-kWh and 145.0-kWh, respectively. Rivian R1T has a 135.0-kWh gross capacity, and Cybertruck may have a 250.0-kWh gross capacity – making it the largest member of the group.
The Cybertruck will be the most powerful with its massive battery pack. It can drive 500 miles (or 805 km) on one charge, according to Tesla. Silverado EV is next with 400 miles (644km) of range. The GMC Hummer EV has the longest range of electric trucks on sale with 329 miles (644 km) per charge. Rivian R1T is next with 314 miles (505km) and Ford Lightning with 300 miles (483km) per charge.
Charging
The Hummer EV and Silverado EV in RST form offer the fastest charging rates for electric trucks, and all EVs, up to 350 kilowatts. These pickups can recoup 100 miles in as little as 10 minutes by charging at a DC fast charging station compatible with them.
The Rivian is next-best, with a rate of up to 210 Kilowatts and a recovery time of 140 miles per hour. The Ford Lightning, which charges at 150 kilowatts and can recoup up to 140 miles in just 41 minutes, is a bit behind.
The quad-motor Cybertruck, formerly known as the tri-motor model, will be capable of charging at up to 250 kilowatts. This would place it above Rivian and Ford, but still below Silverado or Hummer. Tesla will hopefully release more details before the truck’s official debut in January.
Power
While range and battery capacity are important factors in deciding on an electric truck, for many people power is still a key factor. All of these trucks have plenty of power.
The Cybertruck tri-motor model claimed 800 horsepower (597kilowatts) with a 0-60 speed of 2.9 seconds. These figures may be even higher with the announcement of the quad-motor model. The GMC Hummer EV production truck is the fastest and most powerful. It has up to 1,000 hp (736 kW) and can hit 60 mph in 3.0 seconds using its “Watts To Freedom” launch control system.
Rivian R1T is just behind the Hummer, boasting an impressive 835 horsepower (614kW) and the ability of hitting 60 in just 3.0 seconds. Ford Lightning is meanwhile available with 426 horsepower (313 kW), and up to 563 horsepower (414 kW), as well as a 0-60 speed of just 4.5 seconds. Chevy claims that the Silverado EV will go on sale in a few more years with 664 horsepower (488 kW) and a 0-60 speed of 4.5 seconds when it uses the Wide Open Watts launch control model. However, the base model will still be much less powerful.
Towing and Payload
These pickups are still trucks and must be able to haul things. When looking for a pickup, the most important factors to consider are its ability to tow and payload.
The Rivian R1T, which can tow 11,000 pounds (4.990 kg) when equipped with the quad-motor option, is the best towing truck in the production range. At 1,760 pounds (798 kilograms), the payload figure is also impressive.
Both the Ford F-150 Lightning (and Chevrolet Silverado EV) can pull 10,000 pounds (4,536kg) when equipped with the correct specs. Chevy promises a later HD version which can haul 20,000 pounds (9.072 kg). With a payload of 2,000 pounds (907kg) the Lightning wins, while the Silverado & Hummer are just below that with a maximum payload of 1,300 pounds (590kg). The Hummer, however, only tows 7,500 lbs (3.402 kg).
Tesla claims that the Cybertruck will outperform all other models when it goes on sale. According to reports, the quad-motor model can tow up to 14,000 pounds (6.350 kg) or haul up to 3,500lbs (1,588kg).