[This story first appeared in Koktail Magazine Issue 3.]

In the late ‘90s, I became fixated on the idea that the electrification of all vehicles was necessary for the good of the world. The small city I grew up in during the ‘80s already had both electrified commuter rail and bus, and the nation generated the majority of its power via hydroelectric dams. With all the talk of peak oil and the environmental concerns related to the fossil fuel industry, I couldn’t understand why governments weren’t taking a more proactive approach to electrification.

The acquisition of a former Mitsubishi factory in Illinois seems to have been the right move for this EV maker, with the site already being expanded and an additional site in Florida being built. Despite being a startup, Rivian managed to be the first company to bring an electric pickup to market before any of the big players, beginning delivery late last year. In addition to that, they’ve set a new benchmark for the pickup truck—the RT1 is the darling of the EV truck scene right now. Built from the ground up with the adventurer in mind, its appointments are very well considered. It’s also almost absurd to consider in that short span of a decade, the humble pickup truck now competes with the likes of a million-dollar McLaren supercar in terms of torque. The 4-tonne Rivian R1T produces almost twice the torque of the 1500kg McLaren 720S.

America’s best-selling truck for close to 50 years, the F-150 began delivering the long-anticipated EV version earlier in May 2022. Starting at around US$40,000, Ford clearly intends on keeping the truck within reach of the everyman, at roughly half the price of a full spec Rivian R1T. Beyond its price point, the F-150 attracts with its built-in scale tech, detailed road data (accurate range can be estimated from payload), and physical dial built into the LCD screen—the tactile interface that almost every EV seems to lack. The F-150 can power your home should you ever need to—up to three days, according to Ford, using its extended range battery and home integration system.

The discontinued gas-guzzler is back, sans gas, 12 years after GM stopped production of the ICE model. The EV iteration falls in the luxury category of trucks, starting at US$80,000. Novel features like the Crabwalk allow the vehicle to travel diagonally thanks to the four-wheel steer, and additional clearance can be achieved with an adjustable suspension that lifts the truck up to six inches.

Tesla teased the Cybertrucak a few years back but finally committed to a delivery date of late 2023. Supposedly, the company registered more than one million reservations for the futuristic truck, but that was back in a world devoid of EV pickups. That landscape has now changed, so one can imagine a number of those reservists opting for one of the alternatives now available.

Another one of America's pickup truck fixtures, the Silverado sees new life with its EV build. Featuring a passthrough midgate, the Silverado enables the bed area to extend into the cab itself for increased payload flexibility.

The Alpha Wolf from Alpha Motor Inc. will appeal to those who appreciate a classic pickup. As with the entire Alpha lineup, aggressive styling delivers itself as some sort of modern hybrid with ancestry in the classic Datsun and Tacoma pickups of the mid-’80s. The retro minimalist interior emulates the analogue simplicity that pickup trucks have traditionally enjoyed. With its default, rugged, off-road persona, it’s ideal as a small work truck or adventure vehicle.

Featuring four in-wheel hub motors and no axle or gear box to reduce the number of parts used, the Endurance was at one stage slated to be the first electric truck to market. Things didn't work out and unable to scale efficiently, the company failed on its delivery via the former GM plant in Ohio. It has since switched to an outsource manufacturing model with a Foxconn contract, enabling the company to scale more efficiently.

On the smaller end of the pickup truck spectrum and modelled more like a vehicle destined for martian terrains, Canoo recently partnered with NASA to provide the agency with crew vehicles for future lunar missions. The Canoo Pickup Truck is a full utility vehicle built modularly with outdoor pursuits in mind. The truck bed, for instance, is extendable from six to eight feet. The sides and front can also be flipped down and transformed into useful work surfaces. Unfortunately, due to some hot water the company is in, whether these spage-age vehicles will ever see the lights of day remains to be seen.

One must wait a couple more years for the arrival of the indomitable Dodge Ram, a veteran workhorse on American roads. Reconfiguring its corporate outlook toward EV production, Dodge promises the Ram 1500 EV sometime in 2024.