Electrek: A Call For Smaller EVs

[Jac]

“ That’s what the US needs. It needs electric mini-trucks that can legally reach 45 mph to more comfortably traverse suburbs and larger city streets. It needs automakers to return to the concept of compact pickup trucks, offering us electric versions that top out at 80 mph yet can haul as much as massive flagship electric trucks over twice their weight.”

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[Sgt Beavis]

Here’s the original link for those of you not using Flipboard.
https://electrek.co/2023/06/30/for-...s-good-america-needs-smaller-electric-trucks/

I’d take a Maverick sized EV over a Rivian R1T. I’d take one in a heartbeat.

 

[COdogman]

Agree 100%. Smaller electric trucks, vans would have a huge impact on phasing out ICE vehicles. The T isn’t huge, but I would definitely take a smaller EV pickup if one existed.

 

[PappaBolt]

Seems OEMs are pushing for big and brawny, chasing the “adventure” market. I’m guessing they have data that shows consumers embrace the idea of rugged even though the vast majority end up being mall crawlers.

 

[Dark-Fx]

I'll probably consider the smaller truck models Rivian produces down the line, but if they are giving up capability for cost reasons and don't let you option the capability back in, then I don't see a big point in trading my R1T for anything.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

I don't think much smaller than the Rivian would be realistic for me. Too much smaller and it loses its utility as a truck. It no longer fits that need even if it can tow stuff. Now it becomes SUV sized and style which is a totally different use case or selection for me.

Basically if the truck was Maverick sized, and they didn't have any trucks this size or bigger out, I would get an electric SUV like the the Macan coming out or even the iX and I could tow double what the current Maverick can considering that's a weak 2K lbs not even worth listing a towing capacity as it couldn't pull my trailer empty.

 

[fhteagle]

I skimmed the article, but actually read what he said about the Telo MT1. In my opinion, his take on that truck is completely wrong. I have been throwing around ideas with the CEO, lead engineer, etc on discord. They've really put in a lot of effort to ask what people want, don't need, etc in the truck. Very optimistic that the MT1 will serve a niche just above what the author is advocating for.

 

[Donald Stanfield]

Plus after actually reading this article the author can go kick rocks as far as I'm concerned. The whole smarmy and judgmental tone of what people should be driving needs to die. It's not up to this guy to pontificate and dictate to the consumer market what they need. Companies make these bigger trucks because that's what people want to buy. Because they want to tow and haul PEOPLE as well as cargo. Because the guy going to the lake wants to take his family too all in the same vehicle.

Point is it doesn't matter why, if I wanted to buy this truck to never haul anything except myself to the mall that's my prerogative and I don't need to buy some clown car to appease the author's sense of self righteousness.

 

[BigSkies]

Some valid points in the article going back to the history of the mega trucks.

Automakers went to larger and larger form factors as CAFE standards gave them big incentives to do so.

And they added features and capabilities to the trucks that people have come to enjoy and appreciate since then. Towing stuff wasn’t much of a thing in the 1980’s as far as I remember. The only people I knew that towed things were cattle ranchers and my dad that occasionally moved things on a tiny single axle trailer. RV trailers weren’t much of a thing that were popular back then as far as I remember

Also, the back seats of those smaller trucks were not comfortable for my 9 year old self.

Heck, I think my grandpas 1950-something F350 cattle truck had a smaller form factor than a Rivian (outside of the massive homemade cattle box on the bed).

I’m not convinced consumers will give up these capabilities and comforts they’ve come to expect so easily.

But I think the car size world will change over the next decade in different ways for different reasons. Particularly as EV’s become more mainstream and as the new MPG standards start to kick in (assuming they stick around).

The new standards require greater efficiency gains for larger form factors. Which is reasonable, but will have the practical impact of widening the price point between smaller and larger cars. Also, the most expensive part in a car is the battery, which really scales in capacity with car size. Your smaller EV’s commonly have a 60-70kWh battery while big trucks have 130-140kWh batteries for comparable range. The price gap between large and small cars will persist and likely widen.

I imagine one change is that two-car households will likely have a smaller low-range EV and one larger longer range car (EV or not). I also think the energy efficiency standards may push larger cars to electrify at a faster pace. I do see a comeback of smaller form factor trucks as well. But it will take a few years.

 

[ElectrifiedOverland]

Plus after actually reading this article the author can go kick rocks as far as I'm concerned. The whole smarmy and judgmental tone of what people should be driving needs to die. . . .

and I don't need to buy some clown car to appease the author's sense of self righteousness.

Dude, 100%! I’ve never owned a truck before and after about a year with the R1T I’ve come to two conclusions. 1- I don’t know how I ever lived without a truck and 2- it could stand to be a bit bigger, especially the bed (except when I’m trying to fit into a parking garage in the city)

If the goal is electrification, then the holier than thou, you’re not environmentally woke enough schtick is a huge turnoff to more widespread adoption. I was shopping for a cool truck, not an EV, when I found the Rivian and bought it in spite of it being a BEV- I was ready to give something new a try and the R1T being an exciting vehicle was what pushed me in that direction. Being lumped in with the author’s brand of sanctimonious EV owners definitely figured prominently in the “cons” category.

 

[Riviot]

Blahblahblah

Labor costs are up

Blahblahblah

It doesn't matter what you buy, it's all the same price, might as well maximize high-end luxury parts.

It's surprisingly hard to find information or scholarly articles about the ratios of labor/supply costs in the post-COVID labor market.

 

[mkg3]

Whatever happened to 2-door cab trucks? With or without an extended cab that had a jump seat equivalent?

If you remove the back seat and allow it to be the bed, you would get back to the standard bed length.

The notion of 4-door cab with foldable backseat to extend the bed when needed would also work (Silverado EV style).

It's rumored that Toyota Stout is coming back as an EV truck. Maybe that and Maverick EV success would open up the small EV truck innovations.

https://topelectricsuv.com/news/toyota/toyota-stout-truck-usa/

 

[Whale Blubber]

I don't know. I may be a neanderthal and out of touch with the needs and desires of the many, but having lived through the nerfing of the Mustang and other cars in the mid 70s in response to the oil and inflation crises, it sure sucked the joy out of car ownership. I don't think any particularly large swath of consumers (in the US market at least) are going to get excited to buy the next cool generation of EVs if they're 45mph golf carts and football helmet trucks minus the helmet. (If the helmet were included, maybe that would help.)

 

[SANZC02]

Plain and simple, the market dictates what is being built. If they could sell single cab or mini trucks in volume, they would make them. When they stop selling they stop making them.

 

[Ingo B]

I actually think a Telo-ish vehicle would do well, design notwithstanding. I know I don't need a Rivian-sized truck, but it's the only vehicle that ticks the most boxes in my needs' department (AWD, snowboarding, camping, occasional hauling of items best transported via open bed). The size is a trade-off in my book. To be fair, I felt the same way about my old Ridgeline.

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