An electric drivetrain is incongruent with traditional truck marketing, apparently. A great deal of this is in the visceral sensation of proximity to a powerful engine - the loud noises, the excessive exhaust, the overbearing atmospheric vibrations, etc.
Frustrating in that the most realistic option is retrofitting an existing electric car drivetrain to a small truck frame.
None of that is what any truck marketing is about. Have you seen truck commercials or ridden in a brand new, unmodified truck? There is no loud noise, no vibrations (overbearing or not), virtually no noticeable exhaust. Modern consumer trucks are luxury vehicles, properly isolated from the outside world. Smooth, quiet rides and cushy feeling interiors. Car-like handling. That's what truck marketing is, and that's how modern trucks are built. In the commercials you see them driving over rough terrain, then they cut to a quiet and serene interior shot where the driver might as well be parked with the engine off.
Even for work trucks, they advertise that it has enough power to get your work done, but always emphasize that it's refined and comfortable. People who drive work trucks don't specifically want to drive work trucks, that's just the only vehicle that will get the job done.
What you're thinking of is children who think that the louder exhuast, the more soot, and the bigger engine makes them more of a man. No truck manufacturer wants to be associated with that and no trucks roll out of the factory with a configuration like that. All of that makes a truck less useful.
The highest selling vehicle in America is a full-size pickup truck made of aluminum and has a 6-cylinder engine. It's a very small market of truck buyers who want loud noses, excessive exhaust, or overbearing vibrations, that is not traditional truck marketing.
Currently driving an old, rebranded S-10, with a 2.6L engine. Daily driver, weekly 120mi trips, occasional adventure/event/offroad/bad city streets/"need to rescue this person" vehicle, and occasional cargo vehicle aka "Guy with a truck".
An S-10 weighs about as much as a Camry or Prius, and uses a similar drivetrain. The engine of this rebranded S-10 is parts-compatible with a Dodge 600 of the same era.
Are you talking about people buying a truck to get to their desk job, or people buying a truck to haul a load? Those are two different groups with different requirements.
The first group like the tough image, but so long as it goes 100 miles round trip and you can put something in it they have their needs met and the rest is about image. This group just needs an electric car drive train.
The second group actually needs a truck. They have a ton (literally a ton) of tools that they need to get from job site to job site (think the handyman type who does several 2-3 hour jobs). Or they are back and forth from the warehouse delivering materials to different work sites. Or they are bringing 400 liters of fuel to the tractor, and then off to the feed store. I can probably come up with a few dozen other groups of people who use a truck as a truck.
That depends on which user you are asking about and how fast you can recharge.
First note that most of these users are loaded - they are now driving a truck rated to get ~20mpg unloaded, but they average ~14mpg because of their extra load. Realistically your 200 mile range to 140 miles.
When you are going from job to job - 25 miles to the first job, then 50 to the next, then 30, you are too far from home to make it back. Generic handyman jobs stay closer to home, but if you are the only mechanic in your city that knows how to fix a paver that might be your life (road equipment is generally repaired/maintained on sight as that is cheaper than bringing them in)
If you are dong warehouse delivery you are probably looking at a bunch of 60 mile round trips before you head back to refill the truck, if you can recharge while the truck is loading you are fine. Fast recharge in current batteries currently reduces their life, but we can budget for that. (there is potential for something like drive 50 miles and put 20 miles worth of charge back, and repeat: this is enough to get to the end of the day and then you do a full recharge overnight)
The farmer going to the tractor and the feed store probably cannot stop to recharge - he might leave the truck sitting most of the day, but never near a power line. However a 200 mile day would be unusual. If we make sure that every shed/barn has a charging station he can probably get by.
Depends on location. If you live in west Texas or Utah or other states where long daily travel is common then yes you need a vehicle with a lot of range. Often you will see guys will external fuel tanks on their vehicles to support the distances they travel.
Or that if you need a truck for utility purposes it has to have towing and/or storage capacity. There is a huge fleet market for small trucks rangers/tacomas and half ton trucks that just need a bed or light towing capacity. The people making buying decisions for fleet pools aren't interested in buying trucks based on your gross exaggerations, they're buying based on what's going to save them money over time first and for most.
> An electric drivetrain is incongruent with traditional truck marketing, apparently.
That doesn't make any sense. Trucking is a business market, not consumer. They care about bottom line.
If electric trucks would increase profits there would be a demand for them. Right now they're just not practical for most uses. The upfront cost is too high and the significant weight from batteries reduces load capacity.
