There are a lot of challenges from 2020 that are still in 2021. First and foremost is the situation with the pandemic. While it is being controlled at a faster pace than before, it’s proven that there is still a long way to go before everything can be deemed ‘normal.’
A case for the electric vehicle is also making rounds this 2021. It’s been a long time coming, but flatbed trucking companies may finally embrace the shift from purely diesel to hybrid, and finally, to electric engines. What’ll an electric truck look like? We might not yet know, as lockdowns hamper production, but it’ll be interesting for sure.
Perhaps, the shift to electricity is timely, seeing how electric vehicles benefit the steadily changing environment. Let’s look at the movement and why it needs to come now.
Why the pivot to electric
Electric vehicles are already available in the market, while trucks are slowly but surely beginning the transition. There has been a growing clamor beginning with manufacturers pledging to electrify big rigs to smaller trucks. If there ever were a year to do it, it would have to be this year.
Aside from many of the benefits to the environment, electric vehicles also bring zero transmission. Like the Volvo truck, some features a battery-electric vehicle arrangement, with models becoming more available as the technology becomes better.
An increase in vehicles shifting to hybrid
In the past, electric trucks were treated as more of a myth than a practical machine. There weren’t any available models that necessitated the shift to electric trucks. That changed eventually, as more and more countries pledged to cut emissions. In the U.S. and Canada alone, there is an expected rise to at least 85 available models from the initial 70.
Companies like GM, Ford, and Tesla have made a splash by announcing partnerships with companies looking to make their fleet ‘green.’ In the case of Tesla, it boasts companies such as Walmart, PepsiCo, DHL, and FedEx, among others, who are anticipating the release of their semi and other electric models.
Examples of Electric Trucks: GM
The General Motors variant of the electric truck is the GMC Hummer EV SUT. This entry into the electric market is a pick-up and SUV variant, which will be all-electric and specified as a sub-model of GMC. It claims to have 1000 hp and is GM’s entry into the electric truck wars.
The Hummer is touted to have an 800-volt power plant and is fast-charging. Most of the details are only pure speculation at this point. The most anyone can say about its price is that it will carry a price tag of $70,000. There is no news about its release, but most pundits place it at the end of 2021, with a likely possibility of a 2022 model releasing soon after.
Examples of Electric Trucks: The F-150
Ford has some of the best-sellers in the pickup niche, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they’re also creating an all-electric variant. Ford’s electric vehicle already comes with an impressive description – with its electric engine. It can tow a freight train carrying 42 F-150 pickups on it. Call it a publicity stunt, but that’s one million pounds of the truck being pulled by an electric vehicle.
The all-electric F-150 will arrive once the next-generation non-electric variant comes, which is slated to be in 2021. The company hasn’t released any specs or any other details about the truck, only that it’s able to pull its own weight in non-electric variants.
Examples of Electric Trucks: Tesla’s Entry
Tesla is known for taking risks in this industry, and their electric truck entry is no different. The Cybertruck looks futuristic, featuring a wedged design that wouldn’t look out of place in futuristic movies akin to “Back to the Future.” This is also supposed to be an electric truck. Tesla claims that it can run 500 miles on a single charge and tow weights of up to 14,000 pounds.
There are a lot of outrageous claims on Tesla’s offering in the electric vehicle niche. Alas, no one knows for sure, as no official details about the product have yet come to light.
From a vaccine to the coronavirus to trucks becoming electric, 2021 is sure shaping up to be some year. Who knows if this is the year when we finally bridge the past to the future? One thing’s for sure. Keeping safe is still a top priority as you wait for the first common variant of the all-electric truck to arrive.