Cybertruck VS Ford Lightning VS Hummer EV: Which Electric Truck Will Reign Supreme?
The electric trucks are coming. It seems every manufacturer has an electric truck prototype in the works. With the Rivian R1T set for deliveries this fall, it is anyone’s guess which truck will be second to market. The Electrek website wrote a matchup of the three most likely contenders: The Tesla Cybertruck, the F-150 Lightning, and GMC’S Hummer EV. Read on to find out how these electric truck models stack up.
The Tesla Cybertuck Is A Fresh Take On The Future
The style of the Tesla Cybertruck is divisive: you either love it or hate it. Elon Musk took inspiration from dystopian, “cyberpunk” SciFi of the 1980s (think Bladerunner) as he directed his designers. The resulting prototype is impossible to ignore. This strategy netted Tesla over a million pre-orders of its electric truck.
While every Cybertruck will look the same, with an angular stainless steel exoskeleton, they will not all drive the same. Tesla is selling three very different Cybertrucks. These models are the single motor RWD, dual-motor AWD and tri-motor AWD.
Tesla advertised an eye-catching price: $39,900–but this is for the RWD base model. The mid-level Cybertruck begins at $49,900 and the top trim at $69,900. Self-driving capability is a popular $10K add-on.
Tesla has also touted some incredible performance numbers: 800 horsepower, 1,000 lb-ft. of torque, a 2.9 second 0-60, 130 mph top speed, and a 14,000-pound towing capacity. If these jaw-dropping estimates pan out, they will only be for the top-trim Cybertruck. Likewise, the top trim Cybertruck is claiming a 500-mile range, but entry-level truck owners will have to make do with 250 miles.
Elon Musk stuck to his 2021 Cybertruck delivery promise through a couple of fiscal quarters before acknowledging that the first deliveries would be in 2022. After that, Tesla will fulfill all tri-motor truck orders before moving down to dual-motor trucks, finally building entry-level Cybertrucks when they get around to it.
The F-150 Lightning Is A Nostalgic Electric Truck
The original Ford F-150 Lightning was a street-race-ready Special Vehicle Team (SVT) project in the 1990s and early 2000s. SVT moved on to the Raptor, but now Ford is resurrecting the Lightning as an electric truck version of the F-150.
The Ford F-150 Lightning first got the world’s attention by towing a million pounds of train cars. Ford then announced that every Lightning would feature a dual-motor AWD drivetrain. Otherwise, the Lightning looks to line up with the performance numbers of the entry level and mid-trim Cybertrucks.
The top trim lightning will make 563 horsepower and 775 lb-ft. of torque. Its range should be around 300 miles, its tow rating up to 10,000 pounds and its 0-60 time at 4.5 seconds. That should be good enough to trounce the ICE lightning in every measure.
The mid-trim Lightning keeps the two motors but only has 230 miles of range and makes 426 horsepower. The entry-level Lightning shares a pricepoint with the entry-level Cybertruck: $39,974. The mid-trim Lightning is $52,974. No Lightning will be able to perform as well as the tri-motor Cybertruck or the Hummer EV. But prices are expected to march up to the $90,000 Platinum edition. At that price, Lightning owners will just be paying for the leather and the premium sound system.
The GMC Hummer EV Electric Truck Is Over The Top
General Motors took a different approach to an electric truck than either Tesla or Ford. During the Superbowl, GMC announced the Hummer resurrected–as an EV. They later admitted they did so without a prototype. Instead, they essentially set their pricepoint at six figures and built out a truck to justify it. But the result may be the next electric truck on the market. The Hummer EV has performance numbers similar to the tri-motor Cybertruck.
General Motors has spent a great deal of time and money producing EV technology. The company claims its Ultium Platform, at the heart of the Chevy Bolt, will power its 2035 lineup. This includes the Cadillac LYRIQ and GMC Hummer EV. We will see whether the recent LG Ultium battery setback will affect this plan.
GMC threw every piece of Ultium technology at the Hummer prototype. The result is a tri-motor beast they claim will make 1,000 horsepower and 11,500 lb-ft. of torque (at the axle). The resulting vehicle can reach 60 mph in three seconds and has a 350-mile range.
The opulent Edition 1 features an infinity roof of removable glass panels and an interior that pays tribute to the moon landings. Unfortunately, it costs $112,595 and is already sold out. Like Tesla, GMC will produce the EV-3X edition by the fall of 2022, then work its way down the $79.995 “base model” sometime in 2024.
How The Hummer EV, Tesla Cybertruck, and Ford F-150 Lightning Electric Truck Stack Up
Below are the stats on these three electric truck prototypes–as quoted on the manufacturer websites–gathered by Electrek. Compare them side-by-side and decide for yourself which one will be the king of electric trucks.
| Cybertruck | F150 Lightning | GMC Hummer EV | |
| Purchase Price | $39,900 / $49,900 / $69,900 | $39,974 / $52,974 | $79,995 / $89,995 / $99,995 $112,595 (Edition 1) |
| Availability | 2022 | Order open Fall 2021 Delivery Spring 2022 | Edition 1 – Fall 2021 EV3X – Fall 2022 EV2X – Spring 2023 EV2 – Spring 2024 |
| Powertrain Options | Single-Motor RWD / Dual-Motor AWD / Tri-Motor AWD | Dual-Motor AWD | Dual-Motor AWD / Tri-Motor AWD |
| Mile Range | 250+ mi / 300+ mi / 500+ mi | 230 mi / 300 mi (targeted) | 300+ mi (SUV) / 350+ (Truck) (est) |
| Horsepower | 800 hp (TBC) | 426 hp / 563 hp (targeted) | 800 hp (SUV) / 1,000 hp (Truck) |
| Torque | 1,000 lb-ft. (estimated) | 775 lb-ft. | 7,400 lb-ft. / 11,500 lb-ft. (at axle) |
| Payload Capacity | 3,500 pounds | 2,000 pounds | TBC |
| Towing Capacity | 7,500 pounds / 10,000 pounds / 14,000 pounds | up to 10,000 pounds (targeted) | TBC |
| Top Speed | 110 mph / 120 mph / 130 mph | TBC | TBC |
| Acceleration (0-60 mph) | 6.5 seconds / 4.5 seconds / 2.9 seconds | approx. 4.5 seconds | 3.5 seconds (SUV) / 3 seconds (Truck) |
| Seating | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| Exterior Storage | 100 cubic feet | TBC | TBC |
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