In the past few years, we have been witnessing a revolution in the electric vehicle (EV) market. The rising uncertainties in fuel prices across the world, blended with a move towards pollution reduction and sustainability has significantly pushed the EV adoption. While companies like Tesla pioneered the production of EVs, major automobile players like Mercedes Benz, BMW, Nissan, etc. are also trying to penetrate the EV market with their new launches.
Kia, a leading South Korean automobile manufacturer, recently grabbed highlights when it revealed its plan to launch two electric pickup trucks. We are familiar with new EVs being launched frequently of late, however, Kia’s entry in this segment has given rise to a question, are electric pickup trucks starting to go mainstream?
The Upward Trend
While renowned companies like Tesla, Ford, General Motors, etc. have been heavily investing their efforts in manufacturing electric pickup trucks for several years, Rivian, a lesser-known American automaker was the first to build the first consumer-ready electric pickup truck—Rivian R1T. Rivian was followed by Tesla, Ford, Bollinger, GM, LMC, Chevrolet, etc.—who announced their respective electric pickup trucks. Kia is the one of latest entrants in the list with its Bongo III EV.
But, Why Electric Pickup Trucks?
Given the increasing interest in electric pickup trucks shown by the larger automakers, this question is an obvious one. Although there are a lot of ifs and buts regarding the feasibility, range, cost, and charging capabilities, some major advantages like increased speed and power, easy maintenance, more efficiency, etc. are increasing the demand for these vehicles. The lack of competition in this segment, especially when compared with the electric SUVs, electric bikes, etc. is also a prominent reason why more manufacturers are venturing in this market.
Opportunities up for the Grabs
Despite the increasing buzz around EV adoption in pickup trucks, still there is no major breakthrough in this segment that is convincing enough to attract more customers. There is still a large gap in this industry that can be filled. So, we cannot surely say that electric pickup trucks are going mainstream. However, if the big players in the industry continue accelerating their efforts and keep coming up with newer innovations, there is no doubt that the electric pickup trucks will be a great option over the traditional ones in the future!
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