66mpg, 14" Ground Clearance, 3.2s 0-60mph, 1,800lb Payload, 826ft/lb torque, true 4x4, 66mpg.......

[David Trest]

That's not really how electric motors work. They are pretty efficient at partial power with respect to decreased energy usage. In actuality, they can be more efficient with partial power due to the ability to quickly pulse the electricity to give that partial power.

Not to mention they suffer from less losses. An electric motor doesn't suffer major energy loss from converting fuel to kinetic energy, and even further losses from the friction of that motion, including friction in the transfer cases. Electric motors come much closer to a linear line when mapping out their input and output as opposed to any ICE.

 

[Bayou Boy]

Most of you guys are thinking worst case scenario with this truck. It will do perfectly as a daily driver which is what most of us to 90% of the time. When you want to head to the outback, stop somewhere for a couple of hours in the afternoon for a beer or two and plug in and you are good to go fo a few hundred miles of offroad for the next few days.

If you are camping, bring a couple of 100W panels and charge up while you hang out for breakfast every morning. If that all seems too leisurely to you, maybe you need to rethink why you are out traveling in the first place.

 

[Dalko43]

Most of you guys are thinking worst case scenario with this truck. It will do perfectly as a daily driver which is what most of us to 90% of the time. When you want to head to the outback, stop somewhere for a couple of hours in the afternoon for a beer or two and plug in and you are good to go fo a few hundred miles of offroad for the next few days.

If you are camping, bring a couple of 100W panels and charge up while you hang out for breakfast every morning. If that all seems too leisurely to you, maybe you need to rethink why you are out traveling in the first place.

That leisurely pace seems perfectly suited to a commuter sedan or crossover.....it doesn't marry up so well with a truck hauling a load for a hunting trip or cross-country trip.

I think the push for EV trucks is purely for marketing and show. EV cars may become mainstream soon enough (at least in urban areas). EV 4x4's are still a long ways off.

 

[Bayou Boy]

That leisurely pace seems perfectly suited to a commuter sedan or crossover.....it doesn't marry up so well with a truck hauling a load for a hunting trip or cross-country trip.

I think the push for EV trucks is purely for marketing and show. EV cars may become mainstream soon enough (at least in urban areas). EV 4x4's are still a long ways off.

The VAST majority of buyers use their trucks to commute during the week and play weekend warrior with the boat or camper in tow on the weekend. An EV would do that job perfectly.

 

[Dalko43]

The VAST majority of buyers use their trucks to commute during the week and play weekend warrior with the boat or camper in tow on the weekend. An EV would do that job perfectly.

Well I agree that a lot of people buy trucks purely for their image and ego.

But for people who actually use their trucks like trucks, the reliability and practicality just isn't there yet.

 

[Bayou Boy]

Well I agree that a lot of people buy trucks purely for their image and ego.

But for people who actually use their trucks like trucks, the reliability and practicality just isn't there yet.

Hauling a boat or camper on the weekend isn't using a truck as a truck? Dude, that's ridiculous.

 

[Dalko43]

Hauling a boat or camper on the weekend isn't using a truck as a truck? Dude, that's ridiculous.

Hauling is certainly a good use of a truck. And so is driving through a flooded-out forestry road, going on a 600 mile road trip and starting up in -15F weather for weeks on end....a truck has to be able to do a lot of things reliably.

Despite all the media gossip and hype, no one has yet demonstrated that an EV truck can reliably fulfill the traditional truck duties. Until that happens (that would make for an entertaining Grand Tour episode by the way), I don't think you're going to see many, if any, truck buyers switching to EV, outside of some urban delivery applications. And quite honestly, I think most OEM's will invest in hybrid or alternative (hydrogen fuel cell) options before they go full scale into EV trucks for that very reason.

 

[Todd n Natalie]

I think most OEM's will invest in hybrid or alternative (hydrogen fuel cell) options before they go full scale into EV trucks for that very reason.

I was actually wondering why we don't see more development in the hydrogen fuel area. Short from a couple cars sold only in California I don't think anyone is really coming to market with anything else. If the goal in moving to EV's is to get away from using fossil fuels for environmental reasons, would a hydrogen vehicle be more environmentally friendly? (Ie: no mines for the batteries?) I also believe hydrogen would refuel in a similar manner to a gas vehicle...(no long recharge time) I am not very well versed in this area so I could be missing something....

 

[brp]

I was actually wondering why we don't see more development in the hydrogen fuel area. Short from a couple cars sold only in California I don't think anyone is really coming to market with anything else. If the goal in moving to EV's is to get away from using fossil fuels for environmental reasons, would a hydrogen vehicle be more environmentally friendly? (Ie: no mines for the batteries?) I also believe hydrogen would refuel in a similar manner to a gas vehicle...(no long recharge time) I am not very well versed in this area so I could be missing something....

Hydrogen as a fuel is roughly 1/3 as fuel efficient as electricity. If you use electricity to make hydrogen, then transport hydrogen, then run it through a fuel cell....or you could just put the electricity in the battery and go.

 

[brp]

Hauling is certainly a good use of a truck. And so is driving through a flooded-out forestry road, going on a 600 mile road trip and starting up in -15F weather for weeks on end....a truck has to be able to do a lot of things reliably.

Despite all the media gossip and hype, no one has yet demonstrated that an EV truck can reliably fulfill the traditional truck duties. Until that happens (that would make for an entertaining Grand Tour episode by the way), I don't think you're going to see many, if any, truck buyers switching to EV, outside of some urban delivery applications. And quite honestly, I think most OEM's will invest in hybrid or alternative (hydrogen fuel cell) options before they go full scale into EV trucks for that very reason.

Where are these reliability concerns coming from? Tesla have an 8 year unlimited mileage power train warranty. In the cold....regular engines suck in cold, they don't start, they need block heaters, different oil, block the radiator....all that's gone.

Tesla will have a semi out next year that does 600 miles loaded, with a million mile warranty, and will demolish a diesel in any performance metric.

 

[Dalko43]

Hydrogen as a fuel is roughly 1/3 as fuel efficient as electricity. If you use electricity to make hydrogen, then transport hydrogen, then run it through a fuel cell....or you could just put the electricity in the battery and go.

It's also readily available and quick to refuel.

Where are these reliability concerns coming from? Tesla have an 8 year unlimited mileage power train warranty. In the cold....regular engines suck in cold, they don't start, they need block heaters, different oil, block the radiator....all that's gone.

Actually modern engines do just fine in the cold...electric batteries not so much. How much cold weather testing did Tesla do in places like Michigan and Alaska? My cell phone battery depletes at the rapid rate in subzero temperatures. I understand that technology is not directly analogous to EV's, but EV's still have a similar issue which has yet to be resolved.

Tesla will have a semi out next year that does 600 miles loaded, with a million mile warranty, and will demolish a diesel in any performance metric.

All of this sounds great on paper....I'm much more interested in hearing the real-world feedback from owner/operators with hands-on experience.

I think too that you have a very narrow view of what a truck is for. For towing/hauling loads in an urban environment, I'm sure EV's will see some implementation in the short term. I think the technology will need a lot of refinement and improvement before it is ready for general-purpose 4x4/truck applications.

 

[Todd n Natalie]

It's also readily available and quick to refuel..

That was kind of my thought too.... Why is it not being explored more? Seems to me it would be less detrimental to the earth. (If that is supposed to be the end goal....)

 

[Dalko43]

That was kind of my thought too.... Why is it not being explored more? Seems to me it would be less detrimental to the earth. (If that is supposed to be the end goal....)

Last I checked, Toyota was looking into Hydrogen fuel cell options. Don't know about the other OEM's.

 

[Scoutn79]

Electric vehicles have come a along way in the last 15 years or so (or whenever the Prius first arrived) and technology will only get better.
Batteries will be more efficient and have less loss of capacity over time and charging times will lessen.

As mentioned many times EV's aren't up to par with the needs that those of use that will travel a few hundred miles off road over many days with no planned stops in town.

I never see real world results for any of these claims though. How much does my range decrease if I am driving in a snow storm with wiper and heater on hi and lights on? I realize with LED lighting tthe lighting is almost a mute point. How many miles will these batteries last before you have to replace them like rebuilding an engine? Will extreme cold significantly reduce the battery capacity like what happens to current batteries?
When will a EV be able to tow a trailer 600 miles with out recharging on the Caning Stock Route? One plus is if you have the time and enough solar panels you can get a full tank form the sun in the middle of nowhere which you can't do with internal combustion.
The future of vehicles is exiting but it will be a long time before I buy one fr overlanding.

Electricity maybe cheap now but add the demand of a nation requiring the equivelant in Kw hrs as we do in gallons it will get much higher then someone needs to figure out how to produce it? Coal is under attack and nuclear has it's own issues and no one wants a nuclear plant near their house...or coal for that matter. Ten all the extra mining to get the raw materials for the batteries and copper (or aluminum) for all of the wiring to get the power to those charging stations from the plants...you can't just truck in eletricity so the initial cost for out of the way towns and small gas stations is going to be damn expensive. How much do you think it would cost to run a power line to Hite Marina? Now if you could use the existing power lines then things would get much simpler....I just don't her anyone talking about the "other" costs of making EV's practical.

Darrell

 

[Todd n Natalie]

Ten all the extra mining to get the raw materials for the batteries and copper (or aluminum) for all of the wiring to get the power to those charging stations from the plants...you can't just truck in eletricity so the initial cost for out of the way towns and small gas stations is going to be damn expensive. How much do you think it would cost to run a power line to Hite Marina? Now if you could use the existing power lines then things would get much simpler....I just don't her anyone talking about the "other" costs of making EV's practical.

Darrell

Exactly! I don't know that as far as a carbon footprint goes, that EV's are any better than a internal combustion powered vehicles....

If all vehicles go electric, that will be a lot of batteries which will require a lot of mining, as you mentioned.

Not sure how much truth there was to it, but a long time ago I recall reading how a Hummer H2 had less of an overall effect on our environment than a Prius.