• News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
  • News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
Sign up Now (For Free)

Sign up for our newsletter and receive the latest automotive news in your inbox!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!
News
Read Now
  • All News
  • Automakers
  • Automobiles
  • Auto Shows
  • Business
  • EVs & Environment
  • Guides
  • Lawsuits/Legal
  • Regulatory
  • Ride-Sharing
  • Safety & Recalls
  • Technology
Recent
  • Get the Latest about New Cars, EVs and More with the Headlight News Podcast
  • Order Up! Tesla Opens Order Books for the Tesla Semi
  • Detroit Automakers Reinstating Mask Mandates as COVID Surges
  • BMW Offers Up Official “Spy Shots” of Plug-In XM SUV
  • Court-Appointed Monitor Sets Schedule for UAW Elections
  • The Rearview Mirror: The Car That Begat Automotive Safety Laws
  • Mercedes Issues “Do Not Drive” Recall for 292K Vehicles
  • Targeting Tesla, VW CEO Says EVs are More Profitable Than First Forecast
  • Toyota Cuts Profit Guidance as Costs Continue to Rise
  • Honda Adds a Sport Trim to Odyssey Line for New Model Year
Editor’s Choice
    Reviews
    Read Now
    • All Reviews
    • Classic Cars
    • Concept Cars
    • Convertibles
    • Coupes
    • Crossovers/CUVs
    • Diesel
    • Hot hatches
    • Hybrids
    • Luxury Vehicles
    • Minivans
    • Muscle Cars
    • Pickups
    • Sedans
    • Sports Cars
    • Super Cars
    • SUVs
    Recent Reviews
    • First Drive: 2022 Mercedes-Benz C 300
    • First Impression: 2023 Nissan Z
    • A Week With: 2022 Lexus LC 500 Convertible
    • A Week With: 2022 Ram 2500 Power Wagon Crew Cab
    • First Drive: 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning
    • First Drive(s): 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 Denali Ultimate and AT4X
    • A Week With: 2022 BMW i4 M50
    • A Week With: 2022 Mazda CX-5
    • First Drive: 2023 Kia Sportage
    • First Drive: 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe
    Editor’s Choice
      Guides
      Car Warranty
      • Endurance Warranty Reviews
      • BMW Extended Warranty
      • Extended Warranty For Cars Over 100k Miles
      • Extended Car Warranty Cost
      • Subaru Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Reviews
      • CarShield Cost
      • Aftermarket Car Warranty
      • CARCHEX Warranty Reviews
      • Reputable Extended Car Warranty Companies
      • Used Car Warranty Companies
      • Best Car Warranty
      • Is CarShield A Scam?
      • Mercedes Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Plans
      Insurance
      • How To Identify A Car Insurance Company
      • Geico Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • How Far Back Does A Car Insurance Company Look
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance For Used Cars
      • State Farm Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance From Progressive
      • Dollar A Day Insurance
      • Auto Insurance For SSI Recipients
      • Car Insurance Rates After A Suspended License
      • Auto Insurance For Salvage Vehicles
      • Average Cost of Dodge Ram 1500 Car Insurance
      • Car Insurance Florida
      • Full Coverage Auto Insurance
      • GrubHub Insurance
      • Amazon Delivery Auto Insurance
      Shipping
      • Car Shipping Companies
      • uShip Reviews
      • Auto Shipping From California To Hawaii
      • Montway Auto Transport Reviews
      • Cheap Car Shipping
      • Easy Auto Ship Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Miami
      • Auto Shipping To Alaska
      • Car Shipping Cost
      • Auto Shipping Hawaii
      • Auto Shipping Puerto Rico
      • Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Atlanta
      • Auto Shipping Boston
      • Auto Shipping. Chicago
      About
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Sitemap
      TheDetroitBureau.com

      More than just “another” place to find news, reviews, spy shots, commentary, features, and guides about the auto industry. TheDetroitBureau doesn’t stop with the press releases or confuse a few lines of opinion with insightful, in-depth reporting.

      Contact Us

      Like what you see? Have some ideas for making The Detroit Bureau.com even better? Let us know, we’d love to hear your voice.

        Media
        Listen Now
        • Headlight News: All Episodes
        More from TheDetroitBureau
        • Guides
        • Latest News
        • Auto Reviews
        • Podcasts
        Headlight News

        TheDetroitBureau.com’s Headlight News offers a look at the past week’s top automotive news stories, as well as what’s coming up in the week ahead. Check out the week’s top story and our latest review…along with a dive into the past with this week in automotive history.

        home > news > Automakers > Exclusive: GM Looking to Add to Growing List of Electric Pickups

        Exclusive: GM Looking to Add to Growing List of Electric Pickups

        Electric drive could deliver major hp, torque increases.

        Paul A. Eisenstein
        Paul A. Eisenstein , Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
        Jan. 24, 2019
        The GMC Sierra is one of the trucks GM is "considering" for electrification.

        General Motors is “considering” options for adding an electric pickup to its line-up, a senior executive told TheDetroitBureau.com, a move that would see it join an expanding list of other manufacturers who are developing all-electric trucks.

        How far along the project has gotten is unclear, but it appears to fit into the broader “path to an all-electric future” that GM CEO Mary Barra outlined last March. It would also allow the Detroit automaker to challenge its cross-town rival Ford which announced its own plans for a battery-electric pickup this month, as well as several upstart competitors, Tesla and Rivian.

        /about/subscribe
        Electrifying!

        “Certainly, it’s something we’re considering,” Duncan Aldred, the vice president of the GMC brand, said during an interview in San Diego, where the “professional grade” brand was previewing several new products this week, including the off-road AT4 version of the big GMC Sierra pickup.

        (Breaking news: Apple cutting 200 jobs on its autonomous vehicle program. Click Here for the full story.)

        GM previously offered a hybrid version of both the Sierra and the Chevrolet brand’s own full-size model, the Silverado, but sales were limited and the trucks were scrapped after only a couple years. Meanwhile, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles launched its own electrified pickup, a “mild” hybrid version of the Ram 1500, for the 2019 model-year.

        The Rivian R1T pickup will boast 400 miles range.

        But GM is looking at going full-out, several sources confirmed, with a fully electric pickup design, according to David Cole, director-emeritus of the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

        “They wouldn’t be saying this if they weren’t really confident about doing it,” Cole said, noting that GM is increasingly serious about shifting to electric propulsion across the board. After a recent tour of the automaker’s battery lab, Cole said, he is convinced “they are moving beyond hybrids…andwant to be at the forefront of battery-electric technology.”

        The automaker gave a hint of what is in the works during a media event ahead of the North American International Auto Show earlier this month, revealing several renderings of an all-new Cadillac SUV that will be the company’s first model to make use of an entirely new, all-electric architecture.

        The flexible platform can be modified for both smaller and larger vehicles, GM engineers explained during that preview. They declined to say if it would cover enough of a range of products to also cover full-size trucks, however. If not, however, that would require the company to develop an entirely different platform, something that could push into the hundreds of millions of dollars.

        (Waymo plans to outfit cars with its self-driving tech in MI plant. Click Here for the latest.)

        A rendering shows the Tesla pickup.

        What’s clear is that an electric pickup would not follow the past approach, stuffing batteries into every possible nook and cranny, in the process restricting passenger and cargo space. The new industry approach is to go with a “skateboard” design that mounts batteries, motors and electronics belo the vehicle’s floorboard. That not only preserves existing space but actually opens up opportunities to use areas normally claimed for traditional gas and diesel powertrains.

        Rivian demonstrated that potential during the debut of its R1T electric pickup at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November. Instead of an engine, it boasted plenty of storage space under the hood. And with no driveline linking the engine and back wheels, it added a compartment under the cargo bed that could provide concealed additional storage.arley

        Rivian hopes to bring the R1T to market in a couple of years, about the same time that Tesla has signaled it could launch a production version of its own electric pickup previewed in 2017.

        Going electric could offer several other advantages, including a lower center of gravity to improve handling, as well as the added, stump-pulling, off-the-line torque of electric motors.

        Ford has confirmed plans to offer an electrified version of the F-150 pickup.

        The R1T, for example, is expected to make “close to 800 horsepower,” said Rivian CEO R.C. Scaringe, during an L.A. news conference. He also said the R1T will be able to hit 60 in 3 seconds and tow up to 11,000 pounds. That would make the Rivian the world’s fastest pickup and give it towing capacity equal to some of the beefiest versions of the Ford F-150, GMC Sierra 1500 and Chevrolet Silverado 1500 now on the road.

        There are drawbacks, including the high cost of batteries, though a newly released study by consulting firm Deloitte predicts a sharp decline over the next several years. CAR’s Cole believes GM itself is targeting a figure of under $100 per kilowatt-hour, down from the $145 per kWh when the automaker launched its all-electric Chevrolet Bolt EV a few years ago.

        (Study says EVs to cost same as gas models by 2022. Click Here for the full report.)

        Considering the Rivian R1T will need 180 kWh to deliver 400 range, a price cut like that would be substantial if GM had similar range aspirations.

        With new entrants like Rivian and Tesla entering the huge but hotly competitive pickup market, it’s clear traditional truck makers are feeling pressure. Earlier this month, Jim Farley, Ford’s president of global operations, announced that his company would also have an all-electric truck coming. So far, however, the automaker has not offered details, including the timing of that full-size model’s launch.

        Recently Published
        Podcasts
        Headlight News Podcast Microphone

        Get the Latest about New Cars, EVs and More with the Headlight News Podcast

        Yesterday

        Order Up! Tesla Opens Order Books for the Tesla Semi

        Yesterday
        An employee in the body shop at Stellantis’ Detroit Assembly Complex – Mack plant inspects the body of a Jeep® Grand Cherokee L to ensure it is within specification before it goes to the paint shop. The Company invested $1.6 billion to repurpose two existing facilities and build a paint shop to create the first new assembly plant in Detroit in 30 years and bring 3,850 new jobs to the city.

        Detroit Automakers Reinstating Mask Mandates as COVID Surges

        Yesterday

        Leave a Reply Cancel reply

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

        Share this article:
        © The Detroit Bureau 2022
        • Guides
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Affiliate Disclosure
        • Contact Us
        • Sitemap
        Follow Us: