2021 was the start of the electric vehicle revolution, and the electric truck isn’t far behind. As states like California push for zero-emissions vehicles, the electric work truck will be a simple solution for companies. With major automakers like Ford and GM offering low prices for commercial vehicles, why wouldn’t companies take advantage?

Bloomberg says electric trucks are going to take over the work fleet

A recent article by Bloomberg notes that with the prices for the electric trucks that are rolling off the production line, the work truck is getting an upgrade. When automakers first realized the idea of an electric work truck, it seemed like a far-away dream. Under no circumstances would an electrified truck make sense for work. The price would be too high, the batteries would be too heavy, and the trucks wouldn’t be strong enough.

When Rivian came around, it aimed at those who wanted to be outdoors with the truck. The Tesla Cybertruck certainly targeted a group of people who wanted a futuristic and flashy EV truck. Then, GM brought the Hummer EV truck to life. These don’t make up the average pickup truck buyers. The Chevy Silverado EV and the Ford F-150 Lightning are aimed at general work truck buyers.

Both Ford and GM have work truck varieties of these electric pickup trucks coming out fairly early. The prices are around $40,000 so that a fleet or independent contractor can get in one right away.

Electric trucks in the fleet won’t be impacted by rising gas prices

The Ford F-150 Lightning is supposed to go on sale in May officially. Ford says reservations for the Lightning surpassed 200,000, a full three years of production. For the most part, the Lightning is pretty much the same as the gasoline F-150, one of the most popular work trucks on the market. For Chevy, the Silverado EV is going to do the same thing. The Chevy Silverado EV Work Truck trim will hit the market before the more luxury versions.

“Chevy is betting that larger fleet customers will want the zero-emission trucks for ESG (environment, social, governance) compliance and bragging rights.”

Bloomberg

With gas prices lingering around $3.30, regular work trucks are burning through a lot of fuel every day. Not taking long road trips, but simply driving around town every day. An electric work truck could mean significant savings over time.

While towing sounds like it could be an issue, Chevy says that isn’t the case

Towing has been one of the major sources of contention for those who aren’t entirely on board yet. Chevy says it has plans for an electric truck that can tow 20,000 pounds. However, there is a lot of unknown with how towing will impact battery life. Chevy Marketing director Steve Majoros claims that towing doesn’t drain any more battery than it burns gasoline.

With regulations pushing for zero-emission fleets, this has to start somewhere. In California, electric work trucks could be the norm by 2024 and fully electric by 2040. If that happens in California, it will likely carry over into other states. With the sheer amount of work trucks purchased by fleets every year, it should usher the general public into the age of the electric truck pretty swiftly.