Electric vehicle startup, Rivian Motors, is building a fleet of delivery trucks for Amazon.
Photo by Ron Frazier
Despite market fluctuations due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Ford F-Series pickup truck still raked in 787,422 units of sales and remained the #1 bestselling vehicle in the U.S. for the 39th straight year. If the United States’ favorite vehicle is to remain so in the coming years, the way they run might be quite different.
Electric and hybrid vehicle popularity is on the rise, with 45 of 50 states having legislative incentives in place specifically to encourage the switch to electrified transportation. Ford is releasing an electric version of the F-150 (Ford F-150 Lightning) in 2022.
But will pickup truck buyers really want to make the switch as more EV trucks hit the market? And, if so, where in the country is the transition already in motion?
U.S.-Made EV Trucks Make the Grade
Flashy press releases from Elon Musk surely are not going to be the right means of swaying the majority of truck buyers to run to the nearest dealership and get rid of their trusty fuel-run pickups. However, there are plenty of convincing reasons to eventually make the switch to an electric truck.
- The most obvious reason, and the reason that there are already so many state incentives in place for making the switch, is the fact that they are generally more environmentally friendly. Transportation has consistently been the leading source of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. from the years 1990-2019.
- Electric motors have speed and strength capabilities that are near-impossible for their fuel-run counterparts of similar size to achieve. The Tesla Cybertruck is advertised as being able to accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 2.9 seconds and can tow more than 14,000 pounds at a time.
- Many truck owners love their pickups for their functionality and ability to help get tough jobs done. Makers of the electric vehicle models have responded by offering plenty of storage space (even more with the lack of a fuel engine) and off-roading capabilities equivalent to the classic models.
Do Electric Trucks Have Drawbacks?
With so many positives to going electric, there are still some things that EV trucks will need to work out in the coming years before fully winning the hearts of current pickup owners.
Probably the most pressing issue for most drivers is an EV truck’s range on a full charge. Even the longest-lasting EV truck battery can only take you up to 500 miles on one charge, compared with the 2020 Ford F-150 model driving you roughly 900 miles on a full tank of gas.
Granted, I say only 500 miles as if you can’t still cross state borders within that range (well, depending on which state you’re in).
Best Places to Buy Electric Today
To help understand which cities may be best for those interested in electric trucks, moveBuddha recently did a study ranking The 25 Best US Cities for Electric Trucks. The study uncovers which cities are the best bet for electric truck-interested folks.
Their scoring system included factors such as cities offering the most electric charging availability and electric infrastructure. They also considered proximity to outdoor activities like camping and off-roading sites to take advantage of the pickup’s ability for adventure. Below is a map of their findings:
Image courtesy moveBuddha
There is clearly a heavy concentration of EV truck-friendly cities on the west coast, with California placing in 12 out of the 25 top cities. This is no surprise as California leads the country in electric/hybrid vehicle legislative incentives and has already installed plenty of public EV charging stations across the state. Here’s a closer look at the cities that made the top 10:
Image courtesy moveBuddha
Besides those in California, other Western cities, including Boulder, Colo, Bellevue, Wash., and Hillsboro, Ore., hit the top of the chart.
Time will tell whether EV trucks surpass the classic gas-powered pickup as America’s favorite vehicle.
Many great EV truck models are set to be released in 2022 onward, and it will be interesting to see if there’s an increase in state EV incentives and accessibility to charging stations across the country after the highly-anticipated EV truck models from Tesla and Ford are seen running on the roads.
Mercedes is a Content Marketing Specialist partnering with moveBuddha and based in Newport Beach, Calif., who loves collecting records and going to any and every type of concert in her free time. She specializes in building brands, particularly for the fashion and music industries, using unique and creative public relations strategy.
All GRIT community bloggers have agreed to follow our blogging guidelines, and they are responsible for the accuracy of their posts.