Electric pickups could drive the EV movement

The arrival of the Ford F-150 Lightning this spring followed by the Chevrolet Silverado EV next year could be the true litmus test for widespread consumer acceptance of electric vehicles.

“If it works in pickup trucks, the technology will work anywhere,” said Robert Karwel, senior manager of the Canadian automotive practice at J.D. Power.

“Full-size trucks are the second-largest retail segment in Canada ... so the effects of EVs penetrating this class of vehicle will be large.”

It’s certainly big business for General Motors and Ford.

Chevrolet sold nearly 52,000 Silverados in Canada in 2021, more than three times that of all Chevrolet cars (15,909) and about 43,000 more than the second-place Chevrolet Equinox utility vehicle (8,675).

Ford sold 116,401 F-Series pickups in 2021, accounting for nearly half of the company’s 243,447 total passenger-vehicle sales. The second-place Escape crossover found homes in 25,960 Canadian driveways.

The initial success of electric pickups might hinge in part on consumers who use pickups for work.

“I think you will see a higher commercial interest based on the fact it can be a mobile workstation,” said Jayson Lucas, general sales manager at Myers Chevrolet-BuickGMC in Ottawa.

In addition, “We have big fleet accounts with [rental and leasing companies] who have already reached out to discuss purchasing a fleet.”

As for personal use, “City folk who like trucks for no reason other than having a truck can justify the purchase even more if the fuel argument is removed from the equation.”

FORD WILL BE OUT FIRST, BUT . . .

The electric Silverado was revealed in early January, and the Ford was revealed last May. The Silverado’s later arrival won’t put it at a competitive disadvantage, Karwel said. EVs currently make up less than five per cent of new-vehicle sales in Canada, “so GM is not late at all to the game, as the game has only just begun.”

Jean-Claude Paillé, president of GM Paillé in Berthierville, Que., agrees. The transition to EVs will be a multiyear process, “so getting oneafewmonthsbeforetheother I don’t think will make a big difference.”

Customers are divided between those excited by an electric pickup and those who are wary, Paillé said.

“It’s really one or the other, nobody in the middle.”

Long term, the transition to electric “will be a good opportunity for dealers to refurbish all the customer fleets,” he said. “It’s fresh new business, [and] we have pretty good years in front of us.”

The electric Silverado goes on sale next spring as a fleet-only model, followed in the fall by a loaded RST First Edition consumer model with a sticker price of $119,948, plus shipping. Pricing for the fleet model has not been announced. GM touts a 640-kilometre maximum range for both. A work truck for 2024, with less range, will start at $52,488 plus shipping.

The Ford F-150 Lightning starts at $58,000 plus shipping with an estimated range of 480 kilometres with the optional battery pack.

Currently, the federal rebate of $5,000 for zero-emission vehicles applies to EVs with a base-price threshold ranging from $45,000 to $60,000. The price ceiling for provincial rebates for EVs, where available, is the same. The Government of Canada website does not currently list either electric pickup as eligible.

The Silverado EV is similar in size to its crew-cab, short-box, internal-combustion-engine counterpart. Its styling, however, is dictated in part by the Midgate, a wall separating the cab from the bed. After folding the rear seatbacks, the wall can be dropped to extend the length of the bed.

That feature was popular with owners of the long-discontinued Chevrolet Avalanche, said Lucas, the Ottawa dealer.

“I think that will be a big [selling] factor.”

LACKING RANGE FOR THE RANGE

But electric pickups could be a tough sell for buyers in rural and northern markets and for those who drive long distances or do a lot of towing.

“It’s more of a niche vehicle for us,” said Chad Turner, sales manager for High Country ChevroletBuick-GMC in High River, Alta., 65 kilometres south of Calgary.

“The price takes most of your clients out of the market. And a 600-kilometre range isn’t going to do any good for a farmer who’s going to hook up a trailer in winter,” because the actual range is likely to be lower than advertised.

“A Chevrolet Bolt’s range of 400 kilometres can become 200 kilometres in the winter,” Turner said.

Alecia Dunbar, sales manager at Lakeside Chevrolet-Buick-GMC in Kincardine, Ont., 220 kilometres west of Toronto, also doesn’t see many sales to farmers and said a lack of charging infrastructure is a problem. Of the six preorders for the Silverado EV she has received, five are going to workers at the nearby Bruce Power plant, the area’s biggest employer, which has charging stations.

Dunbar is also concerned that the recent recall of the 2022 Chevrolet Bolt for battery-fire risk could have an impact on the Silverado EV.

“The Bolt had that recall, which is really going to affect people’s trust in the new truck, even though it’s a different platform,” Dunbar said.

A Tesla owner, Dunbar plans to buy a Silverado EV in the 2025 model year, when more trims and configurations will be available.

“I don’t need a $120,000 truck,” she said. “But the second model year, I’m totally interested in that.”