The electric truck may be the most exciting offering from the automotive world in the 2020s. They couldn’t differ more from one another, from the moon-y Canoo Pickup to the sharp lines and austere visage of the Tesla Cybertruck.

Whether you want to go off-roading or just fly around town in a futuristic powerhouse, look no further. 

Alpha Wolf

• Range: 250-275+ miles

• Torque/Payload/Towing: NA / NA / 3,000 lbs.

• Availability: Late 2023 / Early 2024

The California-based startup Alpha Motors Corporation has already unveiled its electric Ace Coupe and Jax CUV vehicles, and the Wolf is next. This is the outdoorsperson's truck, with two bucket seats, a short bed, and a towing capacity of 3,000 lbs.

The Wolf should make 0-60 mph in 6.2 seconds on a battery between 75-85 kWh and feature either one-motor RWD or dual-motor RWD. It should measure about 4 inches more than the Canoo and help shore up the more affordable segment of the electric truck market. Production begins in Q4 2023 with the earliest deliveries thereafter.

Atlis XT

• Range: 300+ miles

• Torque/Payload/Towing: 12,000 lb.-ft. / 5,000 lbs. / 35,000 lbs.

• Availability: NA

The Atlis XT was announced in 2019, and almost two years later more details emerged: 35,000-lb. towing capacity. Twelve inches of ground clearance. A fifth-wheel gooseneck hitch for large jobs. The XT is designed to compete in the heavy-duty market and should go 300, 400, and 500 miles depending on which package is under the hood.

To help alleviate costs, Atlis plans to offer a $700 minimum monthly subscription that covers insurance, maintenance, and charging, though it may be a while before subscriptions are sold—Atlis R&D continues in Mesa, AZ., with no timeline on its release.

Bollinger B2

• Range: 200+ miles

• Torque/Payload/Towing: 688 lb.-ft. / 5,000 lbs. / 7,500 lbs.

• Availability: 2022

The Bollinger B2 is the Bollinger company's pickup version of its flagship vehicle, the B1 SUV. Based out of Michigan, the B2 boasts 120- and 180-kWh batteries with a minimum estimated range of 200 miles. The dual-motor B2 delivers 614 hp, 688 lb.-ft. of torque, and should be able to haul 7,500 lbs. with 5,000 lbs. of payload in its cargo bed.

The B2 can haul 16-foot-long cargo completely in its bed through its patented pass-through system to the cabin. It features regenerative braking, DC fast charging, and a recharge time of about 10 hours on a 220V charger. The B2 should be available in 2022 after launch delays. Bollinger also plans to build Class 3, 4, and 5 work trucks.

Canoo Electric Pickup

• Range: 200 miles

• Torque/Payload/Towing: 550 lb.-ft. / 1,800 lbs. / 7,700 lbs.

• Availability: 2023

One of the most intriguing and exciting electric trucks on the horizon is the Canoo. The startup is betting on versatility over power to drive sales of its flagship electric truck, as the pickup is slated to be quite a bit smaller than many of its electric brethren, measuring about 15 feet long, 6.5 feet wide, and 6.29 feet tall with a 112.2-inch wheelbase (for comparison, the 2021 Ford Ranger is almost 3 feet longer).

Canoo plans to offer outsized cargo capacity on a small footprint to the tune of about 600 hp with a payload capacity of 1,800 lbs., 54.5 cubic feet of truck bed, and more than 200 miles of range per charge, though the company plans to offer three battery options. The pickup will feature a frunk with worktable and electrical outlets while both sides will feature dual-height flip-down tables.

Canoo recently decided to produce the truck in Oklahoma instead of abroad, reducing tariff costs and supply chain issues. Pre-orders begin in 2022 with deliveries in 2023. 

Chevrolet Silverado EV

• Range: ~400+ miles

• Torque/Payload/Towing: NA / NA / NA

• Availability: 2023+

In August 2021, Chevrolet announced an electric Silverado in the works. It will sport 24-inch tires and four-wheel steering, and like the Ford Lightning will feature commercial and retail versions. GM hopes for at least 400 miles of range on the robust Ultium EV platform, and the vehicle should debut at CES 2022 with production beginning in early 2023.

For more recent coverage since this article appeared in print, see Lexi Tucker's article here. 

Dodge Ram Electric Pickup

• Range: ~475+ miles

• Torque/Payload/Towing: NA / NA / ~10,000 lbs.

• Availability: 2024

Stellantis announced an electric Dodge Ram 1500 is arriving in 2024, and that's about all we know from the venerable nameplate. Ram hopes for a full-size pickup and mid-size truck, but there's little besides pretty pictures and exciting rhetoric for now.

But stay tuned—Stellantis is fully committed to an electric future, and the electric Ram will be one of its figureheads. Stellantis uses four battery-electric vehicle (BEV) platforms with ranges from 300-500 miles, and the Ram is purported to be on the largest one, hoping to surpass 500 miles per charge and tow over 10,000 lbs. Time will tell. 

Fisker Alaska

• Range: NA

• Torque/Payload/Towing: NA / NA / NA 

• Availability: NA

Like the Emerald City of Oz—more rumor than fact—the Fisker Alaska appeared in a tweet from CEO Henrik Fisker in early 2021 and then disappeared, though Fisker maintained that the company is indeed working on a modular electric platform.

Editor's Note: In August 2023 Fisker finally unveiled the Fisker Alaska. 

The startup's current focus is on the Ocean SUV due out in 2022. 

Ford F-150 Lightning

• Range: 230+ miles

• Torque/Payload/Towing: 775 lb.-ft. / 2,000 lbs. / 10,000 lbs.

• Availability: Spring 2022

The 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning is one of the first and most recognizable electric trucks to hit the market, and it helps that it bears a historic name. The Lightning will feature two powertrains, standard and extended, with estimated mileage of 230 and 300 miles, up to 563 hp, 2,000 lbs. of payload, and up to 10,000 lbs. of towing capacity.

Whether Americans are ready for an electric pickup remains to be seen, but early reports are promising (especially around excitement of the Ford Mustang Mach-E and other electric offerings). The Lightning will feature ProPower onboard to ease electrical woes at job sites and the great outdoors, frunk storage space, and nearly instant torque to hit 60 mph in 4.0 seconds. 

GMC Hummer EV Pickup

• Range: ~325+ miles

• Torque/Payload/Towing: ~11,500 lb-ft. / 1,300 lbs. / 7,500 lbs.

• Availability: 2022

From the ashes of the last-gen Hummer rises the GMC Hummer EV. GMC hopes its entry will deliver 350+ miles of range, 1,000 hp, and an ambitious 0-60 mph in 3 seconds atop GM’s Ultium platform.

The unique CrabWalk feature allows independent four-wheel steering for traversing diagonal paths at low speeds, and the UltraVision 18-camera system leaves no exterior detail to the imagination. The Edition 1 is already sold out (at $112,595 per), but the standard truck arrives in 2022, a more affordable model in 2023, and the "base" Hummer EV in 2024.

Lordstown Endurance

• Range: ~250 miles

• Torque/Payload/Towing: 700-800 lb.-ft. / NA / 7,500 lbs.

• Availability: NA

Lordstown Endurance bought GM's plant in Lordstown, Ohio in 2020 and made plans to produce the Endurance electric pickup. Financial troubles have beset the company almost since its debut, however, and though preorders remain available for the Endurance, there are no definite production plans pending savior investors. The startup recently announced plans to sell the plant to Foxconn.

What makes the Endurance unique is its minimalist driveshaft; the truck features four independent hub motors—one within each wheel—and completely lacks gears, transmission, and drive axle, meaning it handles more like a sports car than a truck and can make 60 mph in 5.5 seconds.

The Endurance is geared specifically toward fleet buyers, and if the truck ever emerges, it should sport a 250-mile range and 600 hp with a 7,500-lb. towing capacity.

Rivian R1T

• Range: 300 miles

• Torque/Payload/Towing: 980 lb.-ft. / 1,760 lbs. / 11,000 lbs.

• Availability: 2022

With investments from Ford and Amazon, the Rivian R1T is poised to become a major contender in the EV market. Base and expanded battery models will push the R1T to 250-400+ miles, and Rivian is confident they've struck a fine balance between technology, utility, affordability, and appeal. Three trims are available. Each wheel is powered by its own motor and the truck boasts 800 hp and can make 60 mph in 3.0 seconds.

Launch models all feature a 135-kWh battery pack and a 180-kWH pack is available to push the truck closer to 400 miles. Leather and wood abound inside around a 16.0-inch infotainment recessed display while a frunk offers 12 cubic space of lockable storage. Three 110V outlets anchor the bed along with an air compressor.

Rivian began delivering trucks in September 2021 with mass production anticipated in 2022. The R1T holds the distinction as the first mass-market electric truck to production.

Tesla Cybertruck

• Range: 500+ miles

• Torque/Payload/Towing: 1,000 lb.-ft. / 3,500 lbs. / 14,000 lbs

• Availability: 2022+

The most notorious (and one of the earliest) electric trucks in the public eye, Tesla's Cybertruck is poised to debut in three models: a tri-motor, AWD version; a dual-motor AWD version; and a single-motor, RWD version as the base. The tri-motor version boasts a 500+ mile range and 14,000-lb. towing capacity with 0-60 mph in under 3.0 seconds. Every model features a 250-kW charging cable to use at Tesla’s vast network of chargers.

The Cybertruck can seat six in its spartan interior, and the cargo bed offers 100 cubic feet of volume. A built-in slide-out ramp should ease loading and unloading of motorcycles and ATVs, and the truck’s 16-inch adjustable ground clearance means the Cybertruck is poised to go offroad.

Originally planned for a 2021 debut, Cybertruck production begins shortly in Austin, Texas, with beta trucks to begin testing later this year. Hopefully they test better than the "armor windows" repel rocks.