Page 66 - Motor Trend (April 2020)
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ROUNDUP I Electric Pickups
Tesla Cybertruck
Late 2021
Price $39,900–$69,900
(before applicable tax credits)
Powertrain Layout Rear, front/rear, or
1 front/2 rear inboard motors; 310–800
hp*/503–1,000 lb-ft* comb; 1-speed auto
gearbox(es); 75–200-kW-hr* battery pack
Configuration 4-door/6-pass/6.5-ft bed
L x W x H; Wheelbase
230.9 x 79.8 x 75.0 in*; 149.9 in*
Performance 0–60: 2.9–6.5 sec*,
250–500-mile EPA range*
Towing/Payload Capacity
7,500–14,000/3,500 lb*
trunk in the bed floor and RamBox-like
Unique Selling Propositions
Design, bulletproof bodywork, ramp for stowage in the sail panels flanking the
bed. Naturally, there is also a frunk.
loading cargo *estimated
Three drivetrains are envisioned. A
esla is shattering the three-box single rear motor, probably shared with
paradigm and creating a Models S and X, is good for an estimated
Karma EREV
simplistic double-sided doorstop 310 hp and 503 lb-ft. That motor plus
Tformed entirely of planes, creases, a Model 3 Performance rear motor in
and angles. The body material and front should combine to produce 690 hp VAPORWARE?
construction method are also radically and 824 lb-ft. And perhaps a year after Atlis XT, Karma EREV
rethought, replacing the traditional thin- launch, Tesla’s new Plaid powertrain is If the previous all seem too wimpy, Atlis
sheathed endoskeleton of steel beams for expected, combining a permanent- Motor Vehicles claims to be readying
a partially exoskeletal unibody armored magnet front motor with two rear induc- a heavy-duty electric pickup for 2020
with 3mm-thick unpainted 301 stainless tion motors combining to produce 800 available in regular bed, flat-bed,
steel—the same material that sheathes hp and 1,000 lb-ft total. Each will drive service body, and dually configurations
the Cybertruck’s corporate cousin, the through a single-ratio gearset. Three with towing capacities ranging from
Mars-bound SpaceX Starship. battery capacities are anticipated, but 6,000 to 35,000 pounds and payloads
The simplistic flat body panels are specifics are not yet available. And a spanning 1,000 to 5,000 pounds. Special
claimed to be bulletproof to 9mm long-travel version of Tesla’s air suspen- nickel-manganese-cobalt batteries
handgun rounds and eliminate the sion should deliver Ford Raptor–like sized 125 kW-hr and up reportedly
investment, energy, and environmental desert-running capability. recharge lickety-split (15 minutes!),
costs of a stamping plant and paint shop. We’re told to expect the rear-motor, top speed is 120 mph, and 0–60 takes
The Tesla truck’s innovation doesn’t small-battery (75-kW-hr?) $39,900 version between 5.0 and 18.0 seconds (unladen
stop there, of course. To reduce aero to deliver 6.5-second 0–60 performance, and with max payload). The Atlis website
drag, a roll-top-desk-style tonneau a 110-mph top speed, 250 miles of range, is taking orders from cockeyed optimists.
cover smooths airflow from the roof peak and a 7,500-pound towing capacity. Want your e-pickup to have a range
to the tailgate, stowing in a compart- Those metrics for the $49,900 dual-motor extender like the defunct Workhorse
ment below the bed when loading or midsize battery truck should be 4.5 W-15? Then hold your breath for the
transporting tall items (with 360-degree seconds, 120 mph, 300 miles, and 10,000 Karma EREV, which might even use the
cameras compensating for the lost rear pounds; the three-motor (200-kW- same small BMW three-banger range
visibility). Ramps deploy from the tailgate, hr?) $69,900 model should manage 2.9 extender as the original W-15. Very little
and with the air suspension lowered in seconds, 130 mph, 500 miles, and 14,000 is known about this product, which was
back and raised in front, motorcycles and pounds. Payload for all is 3,500 pounds. mentioned at a press event preceding
quad-runners can drive right in. Inno- Like all things Tesla, expect details to the L.A. show in November.
vations borrowed from existing trucks evolve, including the anticipated launch
include a Honda Ridgeline–inspired date in late 2021. Q
Atlis XT
66 MOTORTREND.COM APRIL 2020
