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Rivian is the much needed kick in the nuts. When it turn out to be a viable truck and not just vaporware with lofty promises, people took note. I am by no means

Rivian is the much needed kick in the nuts. When it turn out to be a viable truck and not just vaporware with lofty promises, people took note. I am by no means a truck or suv type guy but the idea of full electric one is very intriguing, if only I had the space. I can imagine the allure of great low end torque, improved storage capacity and the fuel savings for the more leisurely drivers, who don't need to tow 10 tons or haul 1-2 tons which is frankly not the case for the vast majority of the people in my experience. People keep saying lithium batteries loose capacity and stuff but less energy dense chemistries than the one in your mobile phone fare better in an automotive setting. Big automotive companies had all the time in the world to come up with the tech of the future but they squandered the opportunity. Upstarts seem to be poised to eat their cake.

clouddrover 8y ago
> Upstarts seem to be poised to eat their cake. Probably not. I think Volkswagen will be the biggest producer of battery electric vehicles within the next 3 years. VW is also talking about licensing their MEB electric car platform to Ford (though not necessarily for this F-150).
- sjwright 8y ago
  I do like the look of the Golf GTE, but it's not sold here (Australia) and I don't trust VAG as a company. In my estimation, electric is perfect for the smaller second car, where it becomes a no-brainer for 95% of commuting and shopping tasks. Tesla is going for the electric-car-first market. Volkswagen, BMW and others seem to be throwing darts at the wall to see what sticks. Right now the most interesting future products are coming from Hyundai-Kia. In particular I'm looking at the Kia Niro EV with quiet anticipation. A completely normal and boring car that gets all the normal and boring stuff right—but with a well sorted pure electric power train. https://youtu.be/AR5sDwF5aBM?t=103 https://youtu.be/AR5sDwF5aBM?t=103
  - clouddrover 8y ago
    Yes, I agree the Hyundai Kona EV is the best value for money today. It's got good range at a good price. But the upcoming Volkswagen I.D. models are also cars which get the normal and boring things right: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2Tqw9LX3QE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2Tqw9LX3QE https://www.volkswagen.co.uk/about-us/concept-cars/volkswagen-id https://www.volkswagen.co.uk/about-us/concept-cars/volkswage... The I.D. hatchback is supposed to be priced around the same as a diesel Golf. They say they'll be able to drive down prices though the economies of scale of their MEB platform: https://jalopnik.com/the-fascinating-engineering-behind-vws-electric-car-pla-1829257860 https://jalopnik.com/the-fascinating-engineering-behind-vws-... And for high-end luxury cars VW will have the Porsche Taycan and at least three models of Audi e-tron in the next few years (Audi e-tron SUV to be released soon, a future Audi e-tron GT based on the Porsche Taycan's platform, and a future Audi CUV based on the same MEB platform as the I.D. models).
    - sjwright 8y ago
      All true but again, I don't trust VAG as a company so I'm not inclined to purchase any of their products. I personally know too many people burned by their various catastrophes with their DSG gearboxes and diesel engines that I'd simply be too scared to hand over my money.
      - tonyedgecombe 8y ago
        That's interesting, they are perceived as a quality/aspirational brand in the UK.
        sjwright 8y ago
        They are here as well (Australia) among some people but their reputation for reliability and longevity is trash among many segments of commentator and consumer. Mazda has an unusually strong footprint in Australia, particularly for hatchbacks and crossovers. Most non-German European brands are very unpopular, selling in relatively minuscule numbers.
geggam 8y ago
Its not viable for most of the country truck uses. Charging stations would have to be immediate and portable. Being 3 miles out in the fields and having battery go dead because you were pulling something would be damned inconvenient
- beatgammit 8y ago
  I thought the majority of the pickup uses were pretty short range, such as: - farmers driving around their property - construction workers bringing supplies to the work site - landscapers hitting a few customers in the same city Since trucks have a large frame, there should be quite a bit of space for the batteries. I'm thinking that many of the places trucks are used will have electricity available at the destination (construction site, farm, etc), or the total miles per day will be within the range of the vehicle (150 miles is probably more than enough).
  - geggam 8y ago
    That 150 miles assumes certain things. Like not towing 8,000lb plus loads around in less than ideal traction. Your mileage on a farm can sometimes be several gallons to the mile.

clouddrover 8y ago

> Upstarts seem to be poised to eat their cake. Probably not. I think Volkswagen will be the biggest producer of battery electric vehicles within the next 3 years. VW is also talking about licensing their MEB electric car platform to Ford (though not necessarily for this F-150).

sjwright 8y ago
I do like the look of the Golf GTE, but it's not sold here (Australia) and I don't trust VAG as a company. In my estimation, electric is perfect for the smaller second car, where it becomes a no-brainer for 95% of commuting and shopping tasks. Tesla is going for the electric-car-first market. Volkswagen, BMW and others seem to be throwing darts at the wall to see what sticks. Right now the most interesting future products are coming from Hyundai-Kia. In particular I'm looking at the Kia Niro EV with quiet anticipation. A completely normal and boring car that gets all the normal and boring stuff right—but with a well sorted pure electric power train. https://youtu.be/AR5sDwF5aBM?t=103 https://youtu.be/AR5sDwF5aBM?t=103
- clouddrover 8y ago
  Yes, I agree the Hyundai Kona EV is the best value for money today. It's got good range at a good price. But the upcoming Volkswagen I.D. models are also cars which get the normal and boring things right: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2Tqw9LX3QE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2Tqw9LX3QE https://www.volkswagen.co.uk/about-us/concept-cars/volkswagen-id https://www.volkswagen.co.uk/about-us/concept-cars/volkswage... The I.D. hatchback is supposed to be priced around the same as a diesel Golf. They say they'll be able to drive down prices though the economies of scale of their MEB platform: https://jalopnik.com/the-fascinating-engineering-behind-vws-electric-car-pla-1829257860 https://jalopnik.com/the-fascinating-engineering-behind-vws-... And for high-end luxury cars VW will have the Porsche Taycan and at least three models of Audi e-tron in the next few years (Audi e-tron SUV to be released soon, a future Audi e-tron GT based on the Porsche Taycan's platform, and a future Audi CUV based on the same MEB platform as the I.D. models).
  - sjwright 8y ago
    All true but again, I don't trust VAG as a company so I'm not inclined to purchase any of their products. I personally know too many people burned by their various catastrophes with their DSG gearboxes and diesel engines that I'd simply be too scared to hand over my money.
    - tonyedgecombe 8y ago
      That's interesting, they are perceived as a quality/aspirational brand in the UK.
      - sjwright 8y ago
        They are here as well (Australia) among some people but their reputation for reliability and longevity is trash among many segments of commentator and consumer. Mazda has an unusually strong footprint in Australia, particularly for hatchbacks and crossovers. Most non-German European brands are very unpopular, selling in relatively minuscule numbers.

geggam 8y ago

Its not viable for most of the country truck uses. Charging stations would have to be immediate and portable. Being 3 miles out in the fields and having battery go dead because you were pulling something would be damned inconvenient

beatgammit 8y ago
I thought the majority of the pickup uses were pretty short range, such as: - farmers driving around their property - construction workers bringing supplies to the work site - landscapers hitting a few customers in the same city Since trucks have a large frame, there should be quite a bit of space for the batteries. I'm thinking that many of the places trucks are used will have electricity available at the destination (construction site, farm, etc), or the total miles per day will be within the range of the vehicle (150 miles is probably more than enough).
- geggam 8y ago
  That 150 miles assumes certain things. Like not towing 8,000lb plus loads around in less than ideal traction. Your mileage on a farm can sometimes be several gallons to the mile.