Given all of the torque produced by electric motors, you'd think there'd be a healthy push to put the greener powertrains under the skin of pickup trucks. After all, an electric motor could theoretically pack the torquey punch needed for a work vehicle. Step-van manufacturer Workhorse understands this and that's why it's developing the W-15 extended-range electric pickup truck.
Workhorse released sketches and some details of the truck last November, and now we see a video of what looks to be a production-ready version of the truck in action.
Through a lithium-ion battery pack sending juice to front and rear motors, the W-15 has an all-electric range of 80 miles. There's an on-board range extending gasoline engine mounted under the hood and that boosts the total driving range to more than 300 miles. This thing is no slouch when it comes to power, with 460 horsepower, or efficiency, with a 75 MPGe rating.
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All of those batteries certainly aren't light, which is why this truck weighs in at 7,200 pounds. It's rated to handle payloads up to 2,200 pounds and has a towing capacity of 5,000 pounds. Additionally, you can actually run your tools off a power outlet on the side of the bed. It connects the tools directly into the battery pack, and the truck doesn't have to be running for the tools to draw power.
The idea behind the W-15 is to provide a cleaner (and less expensive in terms of daily running costs) alternative to the other options on the market. A range-extended electric truck is certainly a fresh take in the space.
As for production, like any small manufacturer getting into the electric vehicle space, that will be a challenge. Workhorse says it's aiming for a late 2018 production date with a price of $52,500. The truck will qualify for the $7,500 federal tax rebate, but the plan is to initially sell up to 10,000 in its first year to only fleet buyers. Consumer sales could follow thereafter.
