In the US a decade or two ago, we enacted regulations to increase the efficiency of passenger vehicles. However larger vehicles typically needed for commercial and farming uses were exempt. Now we see the results of that as reverse incentive, where trucks became more common, even for simple commuting
Will the same happen with BEVs, a reverse incentive that increases the use of trucks?
I just read an opinion piece (lost just as quickly, sorry) that discussed issues with sales of EV pickups at GM and Ford. They made a compelling argument that EVs still have weaknesses as work trucks and point to the success of Rivian as a recreational truck. Certainly arguments against EV pickups do center on those weaknesses, even for scenarios where it wouldn’t apply (how many truck owners actually tow regularly?). So, as BEVs rapidly take over the car and crossover markets, and the holdouts have fewer choices of ICE cars, will they increasingly turn to trucks?
If I had to take a guess at the main weaknesses of electric work truck, it’s probably charge time and the fact that range decreases with more load on the truck.
Hydrogen vehicles will probably fill this niche. It’s got all the environmental advantages as a traditional EV. However, its got the same experience of filling up at a gas station instead of charging.
Biggest issue for adoption would be widespread implementation of a hydrogen refuel network.
Hydrogen cars isn’t a new technology and there has been no push toward mass adoption yet. What changed that makes you think hydrogen will suddenly become a thing worth investing in?
Nothing has changed. Some people just have difficulty letting go off their delusions.
I partly agree with the person, in that there are some tasks that batteries will just not scale to. We will need hydrogen infrastructure, just not for passenger vehicles. It remains to be seen where that line is.
If you use a pickup for true truck activities, such as towing, I can see the argument that it drastically cuts the range of today’s BEV pickups. However I’d argue it’s still fine for a good portion of those and batteries will improve much faster than we could ever build on it hydrogen infrastructure.
Imagine if the Toyota announcement is true. We could be just 3 years away from solid state batteries that could charge in minutes. Then the towing argument against BEV pickups goes away
I’m wondering if one day we will see a hydrogen auxiliary add-on for say duly trucks or like an F-350 for towing. Like as part of a $20,000 tow option. It seems like it would be a reasonable way to allow long distance towing without a huge battery weight penalty.
It’s still a pretty niche market however, compared to the overall truck market… And since the market isn’t rational (it manufacturers are having a hell of a time actually producing electric trucks at scale in the first place), it may never actually happen.
Load in the truck has a minimal impact on range. And charge time for BEV trucks is the same as charge time for other BEVs. Most people using one for work would charge it overnight anyway so the charge time doesn’t matter.
Except for the production of the hydrogen, which is extremely energy inefficient, or is a byproduct of industrial processes that also produce greenhouse gasses.