In November, Elon Musk revealed his Cybertruck pet project in a video that went viral after he smashed supposedly unsmashable windows.
This Rubik’s cube of a car is a big deal for Tesla because trucks are consistently the best-selling vehicles in the USA … by a lot. For decades, the Ford F-Series has held the record for best-sold vehicle in America. People feel safer in large cars. According to car accident lawyer Lampert & Walsh, 3,800 commercial trucks were involved in fatal crashes nationwide in 2012, compared to a total of 33,500 fatal crashes.
Consider, for example, how many corporations buy elegant and powerful SUVs to minimize liability for the drivers of their fleets. Within this group is pretty much every single major construction company, by the way.
The second, third, and fourth best-selling vehicles in the USA, are also large non-sedans (they include pickups and SUVs). You might think, ‘wait a minute,” with all of the green energy and environmentalism going around, people must be buying less large gas-guzzlers now than ever,’ but you’d be wrong.
Pickup truck sales in the US went from 2.5 million to 3.1 million between 2015 and 2019. There is a silver lining though. Companies are still producing large vehicles, yes, but many new models reflect the concern for the planet by offering EV and hybrid options. This includes a (very expensive) but all-EV Hummer with an insane amount of force.
For this reason, it is refreshing to see large-car manufacturers listening to their environmental Jiminy Cricket.
The SUVs and Pickups of The Future
Tesla Cybertruck
On the truck’s main webpage, Tesla uses a hardcore punk font for the Cybertruck. It is indeed extreme. It has a tow rating of 7,500 lbs and a 0- to 60-mph of 6.5 seconds. It has a range of about 500 miles on a single charge. It is meant as a mix between utility and sport … obviously it is fully electric.
It’s slated to hit the streets in late 2021.
Price:
The base version is priced at $39,000. For comparison, the bestselling F-150 costs about $30,000.
RivianR1T
It has a frunk and has been called “cute” by caranddriver.com. This is no normal pickup truck. We’re talking about a car manufacturer that was founded in 2009 and ten years later has major-scale deals with Amazon and Ford. Amazon wants them to build their electric delivery vans and Ford has them working on a Lincoln SUV concept. Rivian’s designers have built their concept around the idea of eco-friendly SUVs.
It gets about 400 miles per charge and tows about 11,000 lbs.
Price:
about $69,000. At this time, Rivian is taking $1,000 deposits. Production will begin in 2020.
GMC Hummer EV
A winner of the 2020 Miami Superbowl ads. This military brat turned eco-warrior is being promoted as having THREE engines. This is worth pointing out because generally dual-engine vehicles mount either engine on either axel. Nobody knows exactly how Hummer will pull off the weight distribution for this feat.
This monster will have 1000 horsepower when it comes out to the public in Fall 2021.
Price:
None announced yet, but it is expected to be upwards of $70,000.
Bollinger B2
This extended pickup is known for having a ridiculous amount of storage capacity. It has 72 inches of bed length and 96 inches if you unfold the expandable cut. Within the market, the Bollinger is positioned as a champion of simplicity and transparency. It is a no-nonsense brand that makes cars that look like toolboxes.
It gets about 200 miles per charge.
Price:
$125,000
Nikola Badger
At the end of the day, how many fleet-purchasing agents will be swayed by a 2,000 lbs difference in torque as opposed to their gut feeling about a car’s appearance? Aesthetics are important and that might be the Badger’s strength. It is marketed as the most attractive SUV of 2020. It is clean, muscular, and futuristic-looking, while still retaining a “normal” SUV build (unlike the cute R1T, the divergent Cybertruck, and the pragmatic B2)
This truck is special for one other reason that will inevitably garner a lot of attention: it’s a hydrogen fuel-cell/EV hybrid.
Price:
$60 – 90k, according to CEO Trevor Milton
