Trade in Tacoma for an EV Truck?

Nio will probably build a beast of a truck once they see what to copy.

 

It will be one of many using the skateboard platform.

 

Do they have deals wiith different companies to use that platform too?

 

Amazon is using their skateboards now for delivery vans in Los Angeles, I thought I saw FedEx may buy the skateboards too.

 

That one simple statement is pure gold. Funny, and when you think about it true to the bone. Sometimes companies get so big that they can't compete in the face of different competition. Kodak developed the first digital camera in 1975, but their whole business was built around film. If they had gone after digital when they had a chance it would have eaten into their film sales, and the stock holders would have had a cow. When digital cameras reached mass market price Kodak was done. Today some people still shoot film, and some people still ride horses. Neither is what it was.

It's all but certain that some ICE manufactures will not survive the EV transition. I remember back in the film to digital transition many of the same types of conversations as I hear in the EV transition. Then: I prefer film for this, that, and the other reason. Digital will never equal the resolution of film. Digital is too expensive. Today: I prefer ICE for this, that, and the other reason. EV range will never equal ICE. EV's are too expensive. I was/am a big photography fan. I spent way more money than is reasonable on film cameras. Today, nothing has changed, except I don't even own a film camera. IMO EV's will follow the same path, for the same reasons.

 

Toyota confirms EV, Hybrid Trucks - Pickups, SUV

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/toyota-confirms-ev-hybrid-trucks-pickups-suv.717903/

 

Good point. Honda Ridgeline is an example.

 

I put in my info for the Alpha Wolf, so far nobody contacted me at all, at least if they want some deposit I'd happy to put down, I guess it ain't ready for the near future at all

 

Nope, I owned a Dell laptop I'm well too aware of planned obsolesce.

 

I saw a video in the news...

I cannot wait - well - I can't wait for the performance...
I can wait a year or two until this is all tried in the real world...
Very Tempting...

"Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe tweeted Tuesday that the company had built its first customer R1T electric pickup truck. However, while Rivian also confirmed that it has met regulatory requirements to begin deliveries, it hasn't provided any detail on how that will play out.

Regulatory approvals aren't going to affect this process. Rivian confirmed to Green Car Reports: "Rivian vehicles are fully certified by NHTSA, EPA and CARB, and are ready for sale in all 50 states." "


https://www.greencarreports.com/new...ustomers-hasn-t-detailed-first-deliveries-yet

 

I would buy this in a New York second.


They say 4th quarter 2023 for production, but I have serious doubts that the company will ever come to anything. That said, I had doubts about Tesla back in the day, and now I have one on order.

 

https://www.motortrend.com/features/rivian-r1t-r1s-ev-pickup-suv-charging-stations-options/

Interesting excerpt:

"Charging during our 7,000-mile trek across the Trans-America Trail from the East Coast to the West Coast was such a non-event, even accounting for a few faulty public chargers, that we felt more "range anxiety," or the fear of not making it to our destination with the energy onboard for our support truck, a 702-hp Ram 1500 TRX"

 

Brand loyalty with pickups is like religion. Manufacturers without entrenched loyal followers need to do something very different to break through with a segment of buyers.

Alternatively, legacy pickup manufacturers are likely to seek designs that are more familiar to their large existing customer bases. They need to convince these customers that their EV versions are what they know and love, only better.

 

Really because life is imitating art.

The trucks look SCI-FI because that's the marketing that is working for them, they're appealing to people's expectations of what the future "should" look like as well as playing off the idea that it's progressive and so must be different and look different so that people who don't have one recognize it as something different and so people who do have one can feel superior for adopting "the way if the future."

So basically it's manipulation and marketing, a way of creating brand identity and getting attention of the public.

Why do supercars look like an attack aircraft mated with a box of razor blades when all the land speed records are held by smooth tear drops and simple cones?

It's the styling that invokes an emotional response and satisfies an expectation of aggressive uniqueness to the end user.

 

I’m probably the ideal candidate for an electric truck, with a short commute (8 miles each way) and not doing any extended significant off road adventuring (just local camping with the kids). 90+% of my driving is within a 30 mile circle of my house and I average way less than 10K miles per year.

According to the article, this electric truck has only a 200 mile range and charging (using standard household current, not a fast charging station) needs an hour to add 16 miles. It would work for me, but I don’t see this technology being really ready for prime time (yet).

If EV’s are really going to impact the environment and reduce pollution, they need to be focused on supporting the long haul driving community, not the soccer mom / mall crawler market.

 

Actually, the more I think about it, the more I wonder why manufacturers insist on permanent on board battery packs.

If I were Toyota, I’d make the battery pack a removable “plate” under the vehicle that could be replaced like replacing a skid plate. (Kind of like a drop tank on an airplane)

If Toyota got really clever, they could have their dealer network offer battery pack replacements at any time, so cross country drivers wouldn’t have to worry about looking for charging stations. They could just roll into a dealer and have their depleted battery pack replaced with a fully charged fresh one.

 

I like that, but putting KM2s and heavy wheels on an EV seems counter productive to what EVs are being marketed to be. Efficient alternatives of transportation.

When I saw the Jeep Wrangler 4XE hybrid plug in, I thought why? No body buys a Jeep Wrangler for efficiency.

 

They are launching 4-5 new electric vehicles from scratch? Seems way too ambitious.

 

The 4xe surprised me too. I’d love a full BEV 2 door Jeep with no doors or top to replace my Harley (got kids haha). This PHEV Jeep gets worse combined MPG than the base Wrangler and only 20mi of all-electric range. It’s the worst of both worlds. But get this - it’s selling like hot cakes. Jeep actually RAISED the price because demand is so high. It’s eligible for the full $7500 EV tax credit, so that’s a big boost, but beyond that, it’s either great marketing or there are a ton of people out there that only drive in or around 20mi a day that really squeeze the value out of the electric drivetrain. Good for Jeep, let’s get more plugs in more cars, but since I’m keeping the Tacoma, I’m holding out for a true BEV

 

Nio does this.