dragoneggs
Super Star Member
- Joined
- Jun 9, 2013
- Messages
- 14,617
- Location
- Seabeck, Washington
- Tractor
- Kubota BX-25D, Kubota Z122RKW-42
A more truckish electric truck than Tesla's
- Thread starter bcp
- Start date
5030
Epic Contributor
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2003
- Messages
- 24,816
- Location
- SE Michigan in the middle of nowhere
- Tractor
- Kubota M9000 HDCC3 M9000 HDC
I see they are going to come out with a 1000 horsepower carbon fiber Shelby. Only 295 grand. Wonder how the financing is.
crazyal
Super Member
Why do most EVs think they need to look different? Toyota did it with the Prius and then realized that people liked the concept but they could just make hybrids that looked normal. There's a reason why vehicles look the way they do. In part it's based on what people find pleasing to look at but there's also functionality. It's like companies feel they need a gimmick to get people to buy them. For a pickup I want range when towing. That's why I have a truck. I don't want to be out in the sticks and find that towing 10k has drained my battery to the point where I may not make the nearest charging station. If I could I don't want to be sitting in a coffee shop watching grass grow while it charges.
The trash can crowd (those people who buy the biggest truck they can so they can take their two trash cans to the dump every week) are a great target for an EV. If I felt like driving to work couldn't be done unless I'm in something the size of Texas then an EV truck would also be tempting. But parking a boat in tight spots isn't fun. Door dings and scratches are not battle scars I would be proud of. Personally I think Tesla should have continued it's partnership with Toyota and continued to make the Rav4 EV. It's a reasonable sized SUV and popular.
The trash can crowd (those people who buy the biggest truck they can so they can take their two trash cans to the dump every week) are a great target for an EV. If I felt like driving to work couldn't be done unless I'm in something the size of Texas then an EV truck would also be tempting. But parking a boat in tight spots isn't fun. Door dings and scratches are not battle scars I would be proud of. Personally I think Tesla should have continued it's partnership with Toyota and continued to make the Rav4 EV. It's a reasonable sized SUV and popular.
Oaktree
Super Member
I think there's a certain amount of wanting the world to know just how "green" you are going on here. What's the point of spending a large premium for an eco-car if nobody notices? :confused3:
Much as I dislike toyota, I'd venture a guess that a big part of the pruis's success was it's, er, rather unique styling. Look how many early buyers of it had vanity plates like "IMGREN", "44MPG" or something similar. Don't have access to sales figures, but I bet it still outsells all of toyota's more conventional-looking hybrids combined. Likely that was thinking behind the similarly "unique" styling of the leaf.
This is more or less the same crowd the EV makers are targeting today. Obviously you (nor I) aren't part of that market segment.
Certainly the Tesla "truck" is aiming at what you call the "trash can" crowd, other, more "normal" looking trucks maybe less so, but still a long way from mass acceptance.
cqaigy2
Super Member
I'd probably be in the "trash can" crowd. I don't tow anything but it's nice to have a pickup bed and 4wheel drive for when i get my tractor stuck, which is what my 2000 Ranger gets used for. I have rented the truck at Home Depot for the few times i've needed something bigger.