When trucks go electric, that’s when electric vehicles (EVs) will become relevant to many automotive aftermarket retailers, said SEMA in a recent seminar. So car audio retailers may want to get their antennae up because the trucks are coming soon, including the Rivian R1T pickup that is due next month.
Market leader Ford announced last night it will deliver the EV version of the F150 next spring at a starting price of $40K. Dubbed the F150 Lighting, the pickup has a 300 mile range and goes from zero to 60mph in 4.4 seconds. When plugged into a charger, its on-board generator gets enough juice to power an entire home. Towing capacity is 10K pounds. The basic trim gets a 12-inch infotainment screen and the top trim goes up to a massive 15-inch screen.
But Ford will not be alone. Rivian (with Ford and Amazon as major investors) is expected to introduce its Rivian R1T pickup this summer at prices starting at $67.5K with a 300 mile range. Other versions are due in January 2022 including a 400 mile range model. Amazon has ordered 100K Rivian delivery trucks.
Rivan’s R1T promises “4G and WiFi capability, Bluetooth pairing, wireless inductive charger, 6 USBs, 4 110V outlets, [and] Alexa voice commands.” It will also include “11 cameras, 5 radars and 12 ultrasonic sensors.” The trucks are produced in Illinois.
By early next year, the Tesla Cybertruck and the GMC Hummer EV are due, (both entering production at the end of this year). They will be joined by a number of EV startups.
Tesla’s Cybertruck is to come in three models ranging from about $40K to $70K. The top model gets a 500 mile range and it has a towing capability of up to 14K pounds. While the dual and tri-motor trucks are due early next year, single motor trucks may not be available until early 2023.
Also due next year is the GMC Hummer EV (for the top trim, Edition 1) at a price tag of over $112K. The standard trim at $90K is due in the spring of 2023, followed by the base model in spring 2024 at about $80K.
Down the line is a Chevrolet Silverado EV with 400 mile range. The release date is unknown at this point, except that it will go into production “before 2025.”
A start up brand is Bollinger out of Michigan with two Hummer-style vehicles due for production at the end of this year. They have 200 mile range and a powertrain capable of delivering 614 hp and 668 foot-pounds of torque. The starting price for the B1 and B2 is $125K.
Timothy – adapt and evolve. There are tons of aftermarket modification to be done on Teslas, the trucks will be no different.
EV is going to end aftermarket. Be ready!