Rivian R1T electric pickup concept
The race is on to sell an electric car that doesn't look like an economy hatchback or a luxury sedan.
With light trucks—pickups and SUVs—making up almost 70 percent of the market in 2018, automakers are scrambling to build these types of vehicles with all types of powertrains, including electric models.
DON'T MISS: Rivian R1T all-electric pickup revealed: 400-mile range, 160-kw DC fast charging
Studies have shown that the biggest obstacle to electric car sales now is a lack of model selection. So far, none are pickups, long the bestselling class of vehicles in the U.S., but that looks about to change, with at least four companies working on building electric pickup:
– Rivian, which showed its first prototype at the LA auto show in November;
Bollinger B2
– Tesla, whose CEO has been talking up an electric pickup from the brand for years now, and has asked customers to suggest features they want, but has yet to actually show anything;
– Ford, which has promised a hybrid version of its new F-150 pickup, along with six pure electric vehicles by 2022, and may be working on an electric F-150;
CHECK OUT: Bollinger Motors announces B2 electric pickup alongside SUV
– Or Bollinger Motors, which has built prototypes of a one-ton SUV and shown concept renderings of a planned pickup based on it, but is still seeking funding to produce either.
For our Twitter poll last week, we asked our followers which of these companies they thought might get an electric pickup into consumers' driving or work gloves first.
Our poll asked: "Which company will sell the first personal-use electric pickup?"
Rivian, whose R1T electric pickup prototype ran away with the show in LA, also ran away with our poll, garnering 36 percent of responses.
That was followed by Bollinger, whose recent renderings were inspiring. Bollinger received 30 percent of our responses.
READ MORE: Ford to electrify most SUVs, promises to pass Toyota in hybrids
From our ever Tesla-loving crowd, the global-warming disruptor earned 25 percent of our votes.
With only 9 percent of our responses, Ford, which has not confirmed a production-bound electric F-150 but has dropped hints it's working on a prototype, may be seen as an old-Detroit dinosaur.
As always, remember that our Twitter polls are not scientific, because of their low sample size, and because those who respond are self-selected.