Electrifying the Road Ahead: Why Gas Trucks Still Reign Supreme

At a time when vehicles are evolving faster than ever, who will win the race for electrification: the trucks with a gas pedal or the ones with electric power? You’ll drive yourself crazy, trying to predict where we’re headed. And yet that’s our story, here today.

The Electric Charge: A Glimpse Into the Future?

Electric vehicle (EV) trucks are coming – and going. The Ford F-150 Lightning, Rivian R1T, Tesla Cybertruck and more are charging into the spotlight as the all-electric revolution takes hold. But, for EV trucks, it’s a leisurely revolution, crawling up an ever-uphill road in a world tethered to gasoline might.

Understanding the CHARGE: EV Truck Advantages

The dash toward electrification brings a truckload of benefits: the instant torque and acceleration of EV drivetrains; advanced storage capabilities opened up by the removal of an engine; toys and tricks made possible only by the availability of electric charge – all things that are new for truck customers. The F-150 Lightning and Rivian R1T are leading the charge.

The CHARGE Comparison: EV vs. Gas Trucks

But when we get down to brass tacks, how do the numbers of the electric truck compare with the analogous gas-powered truck? The numbers show that the potential is growing but the challenge is stark. For example, the EV pickup Rivian R1T has more payload and towing capacity than any such EV that has come before, but it still has less payload and towing capacity than the gas pickup behemoth, the venerable Ford F-150. Even if you want to just talk about ‘utility’, which the R1T makes its entire marketing campaign all about, the shape alone of the gas truck makes it far more practical to its gas counterpart in the real-world work environment, since the gas truck comes in a shape that is able to store more capacities to do more jobs.

The CHARGE Dilemma: Convenience vs. Capability

Where the EV charge is a convenience for urban commuters and light errands, its limitations are difficult to overcome when it comes to scenarios where the ‘truck-ness’ of the vehicle is most critical. For go-and-go drivers such as tradespeople and long-haul drivers, EV trucks’ shorter range and longer charging times – especially when set against the reality of limited public charging infrastructure – create significant obstacles. And so, despite the charge, for those who depend on their trucks to do more than take them from one place to another, the gas-powered truck remains king.

The Technology CHARGE: A Work in Progress

On balance, the journey toward an all-electric future is worthy in itself. Automakers should keep innovating to make longer-ranged, faster-charging and higher-capacity EV trucks. But at the intersection of tradition and technology, there’s no place like Gravel Ridge, where the gas-powered grunt is here to stay – at least for a while.

Embracing the CHARGE: The Road Ahead

In picking out our next rig, a choice between gas and electric trucks is also a reflection on who we are, what we value, and what we expect of our vehicles. For some, the electric charge is the mainstream edge, a lens through which to glimpse a cleaner and more technologically advanced automotive world. For the everydays, the trucks that tote groceries and kid athletes, the utilitarian appeal of gas trucks will be hard to beat – the appeal of a workhorse before and after the revolution.

Understanding CHARGE: The Force Behind the Movement

At the heart of the word ‘charge’ sits the idea of what we really mean when we talk of electric power: the act of charging the EV itself, and of the auto industry in turning itself over to electrification. The words: the electric truck. The trucks coming: to the charge.