Gone are the days when electric car propulsion systems were relegated to docile hybrid city cars. Due to the immense developments in automotive battery and electric motor technologies of the past few decades, electric cars, specifically battery electric vehicles (BEVs), grew in popularity not just because of their environment-friendliness, but also because of their amazing acceleration.
Break-neck sprinting times haven’t been exclusive to sedans and coupes for quite some time now. As early as the 1970s and 1980s, automotive manufacturers have already been experimenting with “muscle truck” concepts. In the early 1990s, two pioneers of the modern performance truck segment entered the American automotive market – the GMC Syclone and the Ford F-150 SVT Lightning. These full-size performance trucks were capable of smoking even supercars like Ferraris and Corvettes.
Today’s performance pickup trucks, however, aren’t exclusively fire-breathing internal combustion monsters anymore. Although the Ford F-150 Raptor R and the Ram 1500 TRX are still some of the fastest and quickest trucks in the market, they’re in for a tough battle against some of the best electric pickup trucks in the market.
Here are 10 of today’s best electric pickup trucks in terms of their 0-60 mph sprint times. For good reference, the 2023 Ford F-150 XLT with a 400-hp, 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine clocks in at 6.1 seconds.
10 Lordstown Endurance – 6.3 Seconds
After almost 5 years of a corporate rollercoaster ride that included an assembly plant purchase, a merger, an initial public offering (IPO), and a near-miss with bankruptcy, Lordstown Motors was able to launch the 4th electric pickup truck in America – the Lordstown Endurance. This full-size electric truck uses a 109-kWh, refrigerant-cooled battery pack that has an EPA-estimated driving range of 174 miles, a peak power output of 550 hp, and a torque rating of 4,971 lb-ft. With four dedicated in-wheel hub motors, the Endurance can go from a standstill to 60 mph in 6.3 seconds.
Lordstown offers the Endurance at a starting price of $52,500.
9 Alpha Wolf+ – 5.9 Seconds
In March 2021 – barely a year after the electric vehicle company’s founding – the Alpha Motor Corporation introduced the single-cab Alpha Wolf electric pickup truck to the market. A month afterward, the Irvine-based EV manufacturer launched two more pickup truck variants – the extended cab Wolf+ and the double cab SuperWolf.
Armed with a 75 to 85-kWh lithium-ion battery pack, the Alpha Wolf+ (Wolf Plus) is capable of traveling between 250 and 275 miles on a single charge. Using a dual-motor all-wheel-drive (AWD) configuration, the Alpha Wolf+ can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds. Alpha Motor Corporation is currently taking reservations for all the Wolf truck variants, and the base Wolf is pegged at a tentative retail price of $36,000, the Wolf+ at $46,000, and the SuperWolf at $56,000.
8 Atlis XT – 5.0 Seconds
Founded in 2016, Atlis Motor Vehicles (AMV) is a young, Arizona-based EV company that focuses on three business units: advanced charging networks, EV platforms, and of course, an electric vehicle called the AMV XT work pickup. To date, AMV claims that the XT is the world’s first medium to heavy-duty work pickup. The XT’s spec sheet seems to bolster this claim well, as the electric truck promises over 600 hp, 500 miles of driving range, and up to 35,000 lbs of 5th-wheel or gooseneck towing capacity.
With all this power at the Atlis XT’s disposal, it’s also a very fast truck that can sprint from a standstill to 60 mph in 5 seconds flat. AMV expects to sell the XT at a starting price of $45,000 for the base model.
7 Chevrolet Silverado EV – 4.5 Seconds Or Less
The Chevrolet Silverado nameplate has been a mainstay in the list of America’s most popular trucks for around half a century already, so it’s no wonder that Chevy fans are eagerly waiting for the release of the Silverado EV line this fall of 2023. For the pioneer production units, Chevrolet will release a base work truck trim and an exciting Rally Sport Truck (RST) trim with a maximum driving range of 400 miles and a maximum conventional towing capacity of 10,000 lbs.
The base Silverado trim will have a starting price of $39,000. The RST trim, which can command as much as $105,000, will get a power bump to 754 hp and 785 lb-ft of torque using Chevrolet’s “Wide-Open Watts” technology. Channeling this EV power through a dual-motor AWD system, the Chevrolet Silverado EV RST can jump from 0 to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds or less.
6 GMC Sierra EV Denali Edition 1 – 4.5 Seconds Or Less
Just as the Chevrolet and GMC corporate cousins have launched re-badged models of each other’s nameplates for the past several decades, the GMC Sierra EV will use the same Ultium EV platform that the Silverado EV is founded on. Hence, the Sierra EV will also have an estimated 400-mile driving range, and the same 754 horses and 785 lb-ft of twist at its disposal – wrapped together in a much more luxurious package. The maximum conventional towing capacity is slightly lower at 9,500 lbs.
The GMC Sierra EV Denali Edition 1 – the Sierra EV’s pioneer model – can also match the Silverado RST’s sub-4.5-second sprint time, but at a higher starting price of $107,000.
5 Edison Future EF1-TP Super – 3.9 Seconds Or Faster
Edison Future is a startup automotive company that first introduced its electric delivery van and electric pickup truck concepts in 2021. These two vehicles have a unique selling proposition – they come with solar roof panels that will charge the EV battery packs whether the vehicles are powered on or turned off. As of April 2023, the company is already taking online reservations for the EF1-TP electric truck and the EF1-V delivery van. Although the company has not yet released any starting prices, both models are expected to launch commercially in 2025.
Based on the EF1-TP’s vehicle specifications, the truck will come in three trim levels based primarily on drive configuration. The Standard EF1-TP trim will have a driving range of 300 miles and a single motor that can provide 7,500 lbs of towing capacity and a 0 to 60 mph time of 6.5 seconds. The dual-motor Premium trim will get a longer driving range (380 miles), a higher tow rating (9,000 lbs), and a faster sprint time (4.5 seconds). Finally, the tri-motor Super trim will have an EPA-estimated range of 450 miles, a towing capacity of 11,000 lbs, and a 0-60 mph sprint time of 3.9 seconds or less.
4 Ford F-150 Lightning – 3.8 Seconds
In 2022, Ford re-introduced the “Lightning” brand that the company previously used for its supercharged performance truck of the 90s, the Ford F-150 SVT Lightning. This time, however, the “Lightning” badge pertains to the electric propulsion system that resides in the new F-150 electric pickup truck. Nevertheless, the new Ford F-150 Lightning will not disappoint its ancestor in terms of speed.
Using a standard-range battery pack, the base F-150 Lightning Pro trim (starting price of $59,974) gets 450 hp and 775 lb-ft of torque that can move the electric half-tonner from 0 to 60 mph in 4.1 seconds. On the other hand, the extended-range battery can power the XLT, Lariat, and Platinum trims with 580 hp and the same torque output. In this setup, the Lariat trim can clock in at 3.8 seconds in the zero-to-60 sprint.
3 GMC Hummer EV Truck – 3.0 Seconds
Since its release in the early 90s, the Hummer brand has always received mixed reviews from pickup truck, SUV, and off-road fans. Although the military-spec Humvee was a true legend on the battlefield, the H1, H2, and H3 were gas-guzzling monstrosities that mainly achieved their popularity (or infamy) due to the pop culture of the 90s and early 2000s. Put simply, there were much more sensible vehicle choices for American buyers whether for urban or off-road settings.
When GMC announced that the Hummer name was to be revived in an EV pickup truck and SUV platform, there were fans and skeptics as well. Nevertheless, GMC certainly piqued the market’s interest with the Hummer EV’s excellent off-road features such as the Crab Walk 4-wheel steering, the Extract Mode air suspension setting, and the removable roof panels. On top of these features, the Hummer’s huge battery pack and motors can provide up to 1,000 hp and a mind-boggling 11,500 lb-ft (GMC says so) of torque. With this power output, GMC claims that the Hummer EV pickup variant – despite its hulking size – can sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 3 seconds flat. If you have $87,000 up to $107,000 to spare, you may want to get in line for what GMC calls the world’s first all-electric supertruck.
2 Rivian R1T – 3.0 Seconds
In 2018, Rivian showcased a prototype electric pickup truck based on the company’s “electric skateboard” platform. Although Ford initially invested in Rivian to help the Blue Oval giant develop its own electric pickup truck, the two companies eventually took their own separate paths in design and production. Thus, Ford launched the F-150 Lightning, and Rivian came out with the R1T. The first production Rivian R1T rolled out of the showroom in 2021.
The 2023 Rivian R1T offers two different packages or trims (Explore package starting at $67,000 and Adventure package starting at $73,000). Both trims can be configured with one of three all-wheel-drive system options: Dual-Motor, Enhanced Dual-Motor, and Quad-Motor AWD.
Using the highest Quad-Motor AWD configuration, the Rivian R1T can tap on a total system power output of 835 hp and 908 lb-ft of torque to launch from 0 to 60 mph in 3 seconds.
1 Tesla Cybertruck – 2.9 Seconds
In late 2019, Tesla introduced a prototype of its revolutionary yet odd-looking electric pickup truck concept – the Cybertruck. Tesla CEO Elon Musk announced then that the Cybertruck will enter production within two years. However, delays piled up upon delays, and now over three years have come and gone without a production Tesla Cybertruck on the streets. As of this article’s publication, Tesla has indicated that a few Cybertruck units will be delivered by the end of 2023, with mass production expected to start in 2024. Will this be the last delay? Time will tell.
If the 2019 plans will still hold, then the Cybertruck will come with three variants based primarily on the powertrain. A base variant (est. starting price $50,000) with one motor and rear-wheel drive configuration will get 400 to 500 hp and will have a decent 0-60 mph time of 6.5 seconds. A mid-range variant (approx. $60,000) will put out around 690 hp and 824 lb-ft of torque through a dual-motor AWD system that can get the sprint time down to 4.5 seconds. Finally, the range-topping tri-motor AWD variant (approx. $70,000) will probably squeeze out 800 hp and over 1,000 lb-ft of torque to clinch a record 0-60 mph time of 2.9 seconds.
