Electric light duty pick-up truck

shinyballs

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Sep 29, 2007
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327
Location
Pacific NW
[youtube]P-cFnIeVBy4[/youtube]
 
It looks a lot like the zaptruck xl which is only $15k. I think there's a Xebra truck too but it's a trike, and not the good kind.

These are pretty ugly compared to a "real" truck, imo. They look more like a van that's missing the rear 2/3.
 
thx for pointing that out - somehow I missed it. Still, they look nearly identical (ugly). I guess the zaptruck would be considered a Low Speed Vehicle where I live.

IMO, they should've gone for a more traditional/classic look. If it looked similar to an S-10 it would be great...especially if it was a little more streamlined and a little lower. The price isn't great either; $25k for the one in the vid = ouch.

Personally I'd get a used gasser instead (I just paid off my '03 S-10 :mrgreen:)...$15k will get you a nice little truck w/ fairly low miles and free oil changes for a few years. :wink:
 
It may make sense for a US market to purchase petrol engines but for every where else - electric makes sense.

A lot of that, for the US, is distance related and the time it takes to recharge off a regular outlet. Most of the quick recharging stations are clumped in the major cities, so...

Try going from Portland Oregon to San Francisco California in a commercial electric vehicle...about 635 miles...the next fast charger once you leave the Portland area is probably in/near San Francisco so you'll get stuck charging from a regular socket (at least twice, maybe 4 times! [depends]) which could easily turn a 10hr trip into a 24+ hr trip. Even if you find 220v outlets, if you have to recharge 3 times and each charge takes about 3 hours you'll damn near double the trip time anyway.

As for looks - they go out the window when you are trying to save money in a recessionary economy!

I dunno, it seems to me that they'd sell more if they weren't so f-ugly. They had to pay someone to come up with the look anyway so why didn't they get someone with a brain (Foose comes to mind) and have them spend a few hours on it? Also consider that if it was more streamlined the performance/range would be better which would make it more attractive (or they could use fewer batteries to cut costs).
 
VMC is the only electric car company that utilizes a fully tested battery pack with tens of millions of miles of durability data for over 15 years of American highway use. The battery pack has historically lasted for at least 7 years in hundreds of thousands of applications, if operated correctly. VMC will always utilize the state-of-the-art energy storage technology, as long as it can be offered to the consumer in an affordable format. VMC will replace any battery that fails within two years of the date of purchase. Battery technology is changing as rapidly as a smart phone. VMCu is committed to the industry’s fastest new product development process, making sure you have access the best battery as soon as it is ready. New battery technology will become more affordable as electric vehicles show up on the highway. VMC can use anyone’s battery, so rest assured the best battery will always be available for your VMC vehicle. You can upgrade for decades to come, because the electric drive will last a lifetime. We guarantee it.

Wow, I like how they straight tell you the battery isn't going to be locked down and you can use any battery you want.
 
. In those rare cases where you need to drive more than 100 miles in a single trip, VMC has added a revolutionary feature. VMC will provide ten free rental car coupons in every owner’s manual. So, when you need to take a long trip by car, take our car for free. We call it the Green Miles Program©. There is no need to pay taxes, license, and insurance on a gasoline-powered car that our customers report will sit unused in the driveway for months at a time. What range anxiety?

Wow, they are doing it just how I would!
 
Related topic:
http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=29778
 
I would modify one of these e-trucks into a camper and live in it. I would require a solar charging option and a modified battery package for longer range. Take that false economy.
 
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