Tesla Motors was responsible for breaking the EV market open for widespread adoption, and it's currently the most popular electric car maker by a significant margin. Tesla is in the process of manufacturing and delivering the electric Semi Truck for commercial applications and the sci-fi-inspired Cybertruck . The Cybertruck was announced in November 2019 and prompted hundreds of thousands of people to place a $100 reservation. We know a few details of the Cybertruck's features at this point.
Three versions of the Cybertruck have been promised: base single-motor rear-wheel-drive, dual-motor all-wheel-drive, and tri-motor all-wheel-drive models. Tesla says the range for the Cybertruck is expected to be between 250 and 500 miles, depending on the configuration.
The earliest production models are expected to be delivered to customers in the third quarter of 2023, with the mass production models arriving sometime in 2024. Take this timeline with a grain of salt, however, as Tesla has let touted production dates on the Cybertruck slip by. At the time of publication, Tesla's website had no release date for the vehicle or ability to configure one. The Cybertruck is the automaker's first attempt at an electric pickup and a bit of a departure from the other automakers. Time will tell if its bold styling and features are more for looks or utility.
Other electric truck manufacturers you might've heard of
Electric vehicle startups can be volatile and are prone to making promises they may not be able to keep. It's best to proceed with caution until these brands get on firmer ground. Here are a few startup manufacturers with plans to release an electric pickup truck that have experienced setbacks. They're highlighted here to showcase what else is out there but are not ranked.
Canoo : EV startup brand Evelozcity was founded in 2017 and eventually became Canoo in 2019. The company is now based in Bentonville, Arkansas. The first vehicle it announced was the van-like Canoo Lifestyle Vehicle. The Canoo pickup truck was the next prototype announced, which Canoo describes as having the payload capacity of a full-size truck on the exterior footprint of a midsize truck, plus enhanced maneuverability for any terrain. Canoo says that it is targeting upward of 500 horsepower, a payload capacity of up to 1,800 pounds, and a range of 200-plus miles. Neither of these vehicles has launched to date but the company is taking preorders.
In late 2020, Hyundai Motors announced that it would partner with Canoo to jointly develop an all-electric platform based on Canoo's proprietary skateboard design for upcoming Hyundai and Kia electric vehicles. A few months later, however, The Verge reported that Canoo's CEO declared that the company would not be focused on selling its technology to other automakers but rather on developing vehicles for commercial clients instead.
Since then, Canoo has been struggling to stay in the black and subsequently paid a $1.5 million settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in May 2023 following an investigation. In July, Canoo secured a defense contract with the federal government to produce "a technologically advanced battery pack that can be scaled for use on operational military platforms."
Lordstown Motors : Founded in 2018 by Steve Burns, startup electric vehicle manufacturer Lordstown Motors received backing from General Motors and purchased GM's manufacturing facility in Lordstown, Ohio. Shortly after, the company announced that it would produce an electric truck named the Endurance. The Endurance was based on shared technology from the Workhorse Group's W-15 electric pickup, a brand formerly headed by Burns.
In 2021, Lordstown began to experience financial difficulties as it announced to investors that it might not have enough cash to bring the Endurance to production. A few weeks later, Burns resigned from the company after an investigation brought to light that he and other executives had exaggerated the number of preorders for the Endurance. In 2022, Lordstown sold its plant to Taiwanese manufacturer Foxconn for $230 million and entered into an agreement that would have Foxconn build the Endurance pickup. The Endurance finally launched in late 2022 in small numbers.
In 2023, things began to spiral downward for Lordstown, as production was halted after consecutive safety recalls were issued. In June, Lordstown announced that it would file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and that it would file a lawsuit against Foxconn. According to the SEC filing , Lordstown claimed that "Foxconn had no intention of living up to its commitments, particularly with respect to the new vehicle development platform. Foxconn simply used its variety of contractual arrangements with the Company Parties as a tool to maliciously and in bad faith destroy the Company Parties' business — while leveraging resources gained through the partnership to advance its own business interests."
Alpha Motor Corp. : Alpha, founded in 2020, is one of the newest electric vehicle startups and it's based in Irvine, California. Its Wolf two-door pickup was announced in 2021. The Wolf can best be described as a retro-futuristic electric version of Marty McFly's Toyota Pickup in Back to the Future . Alpha says its pickup will come in two variants: the extended-cab Wolf+ and the double-cab Superwolf. Like most EV startups, Alpha has had money issues and has sought to raise money via crowdfunding . While the company is currently taking reservations on its site, it only began construction on its prototype in December 2022. The final production version is likely many years away.
In summary
Expect to see more electric trucks hit the market in the coming years from brands you recognize and some that are just appearing on your radar. There are a handful of other electric truck startup companies out there, but they have an even more nebulous future than the ones we've covered here.
This story was produced by Edmunds and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media.
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