Here are 12 electric pickups you need to know about (2024)

The Ford F-150 going electric is a BIG deal, not least because the regular one has been North America’s best-selling vehicle (not just truck) for 40 years straight. Since the Lightning – which borrows its name from high-performance, petrol-powered F-150s of yore – was revealed in May 2021, tens of thousands of Americans have reserved one.

You’re looking at up to 572bhp and 775lb ft and a claimed 320 miles of range. It has a massive front trunk and something called bi-directional power, meaning the Lightning can power your tools, or even your entire house, for days at a time if needs be. Max payload is 900kg, and it can tow 4.5 tonnes, while prices range from $60,000 to $100,000.

But is America ready to go electric? TopGear magazine's Jack Rix spent two days in the States to discover just that – and gauge public opinion on Ford’s new electric pickup.

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An all-electric pickup truck from an American start-up… you know where this is going. Right? Except you don’t, because this pickup comes from an American start-up called Rivian.And it entered productionlong before that other pickup from that other company.

Come 2024 and three versions are currently available: the base spec dual motor (526bhp, 610lb ft of torque), the performance dual motor (656bhp, 829lb ft), or the quad motor (824bhp, 908lb ft). Buyers also have the option of three battery sizes – 105kWh (Standard), 135kWh (Large), and 180kWh (Max) – with the dual motor variants capable of up to 410 miles of range, and the quad motor 328 miles.

It’s not short of loadspace either, with 330-litres in the bonnet, 350-litres in the ‘gear tunnel’, and a 200-litre sealed bin beneath the rear bed floor. Prices start from $69,900.

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Like no truck – no vehicle, even – that you’ve ever seen before. The much-hyped Tesla Cybertruck was announced in 2019 and scheduled to begin production in late 2021 – with Tesla reportedly sitting on hundreds of thousands of pre-orders – but that came and went, when it was pushed back to 2022.Then, Elon announced it was being pushed back to 2023... when Top Gear finally, finally got the chance to pilot one around the roads of Los Angeles.

And it as good as brought the city to a standstill, as you can discover by clicking these blue words. Customer deliveries have also begun, and while we’re still waiting for the promised $40,000 single motor, RWD version (expected 2025, and to cost, er, $60,990), the $79,990 dual motor AWD (600bhp/340-mile range/0-60mph in 3.9secs) and $99,990 tri-motor AWD (845bhp/320-mile range/0-60mph in 2.6secs) variants – as we were driving, wedgy shape, stainless steel body and all – have commenced. Like it or loathe it?

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The Hummer EV isn’t for tradespeople, not really. Just look at it. You want some numbers? It measures eighteen feet long, six and a half feet high, more than seven feet wide and weighs more than four tonnes. The Navy SEAL of the pickup world, in other words.

With First Edition models sold out, buyers currently have the choice of two versions: the EV2X, which gets a two-motor 562bhp/7,400lb ft powertrain and up to 311 miles of range, and the EV3X, which ups the ante with its three-motor, 983bhp/11,500lb ft powertrain and up to 381 miles of range. Prices start from $96,550 and $104,650 respectively.

Of course, it would be bereft of us not to mention forget the CrabWalk feature that points the front and rear wheels up to 10° in the same direction so you can zigzag your way diagonally down the road here. Cool, just possibly not that useful in the real world…

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Just as night follows day, a Chevrolet pickup truck follows a Ford pickup truck. And don’t for one minute think it’s just a repurposed combustion-engined Silverado: it’s built from the ground up on the same electric platform as the Hummer EV.

When it opens for order, buyers will have the option of the bells’n’whistles grade $105,000 RST First Edition, or the more rough and ready, and, er, reasonably priced $39,900 Work Truck (WT). Differences? Where the former offers 664bhp and 780lb ft of torque, a 600kg payload, and a towing ability of 3,650kg, the latter gets you 510bhp and 615lb ft of torque, a 550kg payload and a 3,650kg towing ability. Healthy enough.

Perhaps the smartest thing about it, though, is that bed. It measures 5ft 11in long, but open the midgate and you get 9ft, or with the optional tailgate extended, 10ft 10in. Clever, right?

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The third all-electric truck from GMC is this, the Sierra EV. Like the Hummer and Chevrolet’s Silverado EV, it’ll be based on GM’s Ultium platform, with two motors providing a maximum of 744bhp and 785lb ft of torque. Plenty, in other words.

Set to arrive on US roads in early 2024, the launch model will be the Denali Edition 1, and we’re told it’ll do up to 400 miles on a full charge, while 350kW charging capability means 100 miles of range in approximately 10 minutes. Plus, the 10.2kW onboard power outlet can reportedly juice your home for up to 21 days in the event of a powercut.

Like the Hummer, it can also crab walk courtesy of four-wheel steering, and it gets a 600kg payload capacity and a 4,309kg towing ability. With prices starting from $107,000 it doesn’t come cheap, but future models should bring the entry price down significantly.

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The Ram 1500 Revolution Electric Vehicle (REV) was first revealed as a concept back in January 2023, before Ram took the covers off the production version during that year’s Superbowl halftime showcase a month later. Not a bad way to make your debut, eh?

Built on Stellantis’ new STLA Frame platform, it’ll be available in two guises, either a 168kWh battery pack with a range of up to 350 miles, or a 229kWh unit with up to 500 miles of range. Up to 110 miles of additional range is achievable in 10 minutes if you can find yourself a 350kW fast charger, while 645bhp, 620lb ft of torque, and a 0-60 mph time of 4.4 seconds all sound plenty healthy to us too.

But that’s not all, with the Ram 1500 REV also boasting a 1,225kg payload capacity, 6,350 towing ability, and 610mm wading capability, plus vehicle-to-vehicle, vehicle-to-home and vehicle-to-grid bi-directional charging. Full launch is scheduled for later this year.

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Another day, another Californian EV start-up, but Alpha has hit the ground running. We first cast our eyes on the Wolf back in March 2021 when it was just a 3D rendering. Fast forward five months, and it had evolved into an actual, physical model. Speedy work.

There’s set to be three variants, the standard Wolf, the extended cab Wolf+, and the double cab SuperWolf. Buyers will have the choice of single motor two-wheel drive, or dual motor all-wheel drive. Alpha reckons it’ll do 0-60mph in 6.2 seconds, with the 75kWh battery good for a range of around 250 miles. And get this – Alpha’s targeting a starting price of just $36k (approx. £29k), though we’ll believe it when we see it.

We’re still waiting on when we’ll see a production version, but in the meantime check out our exclusive photoshoot below.

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Another American start-up after a slice of the electric pickup pie, Atlis first revealed its wedge-tastic XT pickup to the world back in 2019, complete with a claimed Mercedes EQS-rivalling 500-miles of range – and a 15-minute full charge time. Wowsers.

The rest of the specs were equally impressive: 600+bhp, 12,000lb ft of torque, 0-60mph in 5.0secs, a top speed of 120mph, a payload of nearly 2.3 tonnes, and a towing capacity of almost 16 tonnes. Buyers will have the option of a 6.5 or 8ft bed, with prices starting from $45,000 for the entry-level version with a 125kWh battery and 300-mile range. The range-topper meanwhile, with a 250kWh battery and 500-mile range, starts from $69,000.

Oh, and one other thing – Atlas claims it’ll have a one-million-mile life span… four times as much as the average British driver reportedly covers in their lifetime. Otherworldly.

Meet the EdisonFuture EF1-T, which is notable for one reason above all: its solar panel roof. Which when you think about it, just makes sense, right?

Having made its public debut in concept form at the Los Angeles Auto Show in 2021, a solar cover bed is also optionally available to maximise juicing, as well as helping to protect any contents. Oh, and the solar panels will charge the battery when both parked and driving.

It’s set to be available in three specifications: Standard (single motor), Premium (dual motor), and Super (tri motor). While there’s no word yet on battery sizes (or an official launch date), we do know it’ll be good for a range of 300, 380 and 450 miles respectively.

Whether the whole solar charging thing will work as well over in the UK as it will in sunnier climes is another matter entirely…

Image: EdisonFuture

Remember Canoo? Back in 2019, the California-based (obviously) start-up got us all giddy with its futuristic-looking microbus. A multi-purpose delivery vehicle followed, and then last year, this – the aptly named Canoo Pickup.

Reminiscent of VW Type 2 pickups of old (and VW's teased ID.Buzz pickup), it offers a six-foot truck bed complete with two-foot pull out extension, a front cargo storage area that can hold tools or gear along with a fold down worktable with electrical outlets, flip-down side workbenches, hidden side steps and storage areas, and more.

Canoo says it’ll be available in dual or rear motor configurations, up to 600bhp and 500lb ft of torque, 816kg payload, and around 200 miles of battery range. The website is already taking pre-orders, with first deliveries potentially later this year. Tempted?

Lordstown Motors – so named for Lordstown, Ohio, where the company owns an old General Motors factory. At least it used to, until it was sold in 2021 to tech group Foxconn, a move intended to raise capital to help finally see its Endurance electric pickup truck enter production, which we’re told it finally did in late 2022.

The Endurance itself is a proper work truck, more like the F-150 than the Rivian, with four in-wheel hub motors and a 109kWh battery for a claimed 250+ miles of range. Initial plans were to build and deliver 500 vehicles by June 2023 – a target it reportedly hit.

But the story doesn’t end there, because the company then announced it had filed for bankruptcy, following a dispute with its parent company. While the assets and rights to the truck are reportedly up for sale, its future again looks uncertain.

Image: Lordstown Motors

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