Hybrid Trucks? Inevitable thing to come?

I mean I can see some benefit from this, most of the fossil fuel consumption is from getting these things rolling from a red light. Seeing a hybrid powertrain to assist in acceleration might help cut down on consumption and emissions.

The Bollinger SAV that debut is all electric can't imagine the price of that, but seems like the soup de jour for every car maker is going electrification. Even there was some announcement from Ford that the F150 will have a hybrid option

 

The future is coming whether we like it or not, so yes, inevitable. There are a few good looking ideas already. Have you seen the Workhorse W-15 pickup? Trucks serve in more diverse environments than cars so it'll take a while before we see the one truck that does it all, but I'd expect to see certain niches filled quickly; the around town/weekend warrior, fleet trucks, around town heavy towing, etc. It'll be a lot longer before we see the true Texas ranch trucks replaced with electric tho. I'd be happy with an 80 mile all electric range with up to 300+ with an on board generator. I'd only have to buy about 5 tanks of gas a year for long trips. I expect to own my taco for another 20 years, but I bet in about 10 the hybrid options are going to be looking pretty tasty.

 

I agree, it's not an if but when.

I wouldn't mind what you said with it being 80 mile all electric, that'd be great for daily commute, then once on the freeway at speed kick over to gas

 

This just in..

Ford plans $11 billion investment, 40 electrified vehicles by 2022

SUVs figured in Ford’s electric vehicle presentation. The automaker’s president of global markets, Jim Farley, said on Sunday that Ford would bring a high-performance electric utility vehicle to market by 2020. The company will begin production of a hybrid version of its popular F-150 truck at a plant in Dearborn, Michigan, in 2020

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-...40-electrified-vehicles-by-2022-idUSKBN1F30YZ

 

I'm calling it now. Tesla pickup will have a bed cover with solar panels that can fold or retract.

 

Are we talking hybrid or full electric. Because toyota can already make a pretty bomb proof hybrid. Priuses have hundreds of thousands of miles on them, many still run the original battery. An electric motor would be great to fill in power under the curve and in city driving. The torque would be great off road. Truthfully a hybrid Tacoma would be fantastic in more than one way, obviously they need to execute it right and keep the intention of a lifestyle vehicle not a commuter. Can I dream of a turbo diesel hybrid or is that a little too much?

 

What will happen when you need to use the bed then?

 

Totally agree, a lot of the gas sucking occurs in stop and go traffic so having that electric motor assist off the line would go a long way to improving milage

 

If Toyota decided to do this with their trucks, you think there would be something like a 4wd electric motor lockout to keep it in gas mode?

That said, the instant torque on electric motors would be amazing for a crawl control function.

 

I think your pole needs one more choice:

• Yes
• No
• Need more information.

 

Until its "cheap technology" like computers, cell phones and TVs Im waiting. And no diesel either. Even if its 30 mpg+, diesel fuel here is more expensive than gas.

 

I was just at CES last week and saw this bad boy. 100% electric, $50k-ish, 4wheel drive (2 electric motors) and 650HP! Very interesting.

 

Electrics are going to be here WAY faster than many people realize. You can already see the big auto companies turning all their attention and R&D into it. We're going to see hybrid taco options in two years tops, and all electric options in 5-8 years tops (4th Gen).

Just look at the advancement Tesla alone has done in the past few years.The big auto companies are not going to stand idly by while Tesla is full steam ahead. The new Prius now going 25 miles while in fully electric mode, proves the direction that Toyota is taking. It's only a matter of time until they take the engine completely out of it and put in more batteries.

 

Ram has announced the 2019 1500 will have a hybrid V6 and a Hemi V8 with a hybrid option.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/redesigned-2019-ram-1500-gets-bigger-lighter-050106537.html

 

Folds or retracts like any other tonneau cover

 

Doubtful, gas engines are more efficient as generators for series hybrid cars given the ridiculous emissions restrictions on the deisels.

No big auto maker is threatened by Tesla. We build in a day what they build in a year. Its CAFE and CARB that are pushing the big boys to electric power. Fleet mileage requirements are getting ridiculous.

 

Thanks for posting. I bought stock in Workhorse. I believe they could be huge in ten years, but who knows? They can't compete with exiting auto manufacturers, but their electric delivery vehicle/drone setup could sell for a mint to UPS, FedEx, or Amazon. Here's hoping. I'm looking forward to electric/hybrid trucks, there's some really cool stuff you can do with those platforms.

 

My $.02:

Trucks are uniquely suited to hybrid technologies. Weight is not a huge concern on a truck like it is in a performance vehicle. The time that a truck is least efficient is under acceleration, which is what a hybrid system tends to help most. As a torque fill down low, the engine doesn't have to work as hard when towing/hauling. It also means that you can use a smaller, more efficient engine, which can boost cruising efficiency as well. Win/Win

 

The key to all of this is battery technology. That's what's holding all the major auto manufacturers up. Batter technology is going through a major growth in improvement. This is why several major stock brokers project the demise of Tesla, because they've invested billions in out of date batteries. Toyota already has patented solid state battery tech. Once battery tech reaches resource limitations instead of knowledge limitation you will see all automakers start building battery production facilities.