Why can't they make a fully electric sub-compact pickup truck?

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ScaryfatkidGT@reddit

They should, as the big trucks being electric lack towing range… a fully electric Maverik or Ranger might work?

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havnar-@reddit

You don’t need trucks. Thats the whole point. It’s a cultural thing.

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Tree_Weasel@reddit

My first thought was that this post is just market research by Slate to see if people know about their truck. 😂

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ku_78@reddit

Yeah, was a subtle as a peacock in mating season

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Reverend_Tommy@reddit

And on that note, what do you call a female peacock? A peacunt!

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I really hope they can get it to market. But I am afraid it might not with the new bills/laws about all vehicles requiring a phone home/spy system installed by 2028. I think it would affect the bottom line so much it might kill it due to the price they are trying to hit.

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run_uz@reddit

I'm betting the Slate will need a Prime subscription & I can't wait for people to share their info & both vehicles get bricked 😂

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Unable_Maybe_6932@reddit

You got a source link for this home/spy system thing?

Or is this just satire?

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yupiknowitsreallyme@reddit

https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/2023-07/Report-to-Congress-Advanced-Impaired-Driving-Prevention-Technology_07-17-23.pdf

If you don’t care to read gov docs

https://nypost.com/2026/04/30/us-news/sinister-in-car-spy-tech-that-can-kill-your-engine-mandatory-next-year-under-biden-policy-sparking-major-privacy-fears/

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Next_Cartoonist_8444@reddit

That...is scary. I'm keeping my '06 running as long as I can for sure

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beer_curmudgeon@reddit

If John Kirirakou is to be believed (ex-cia) your car can be straight up taken over (by government agents). That's effed

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Vlish36@reddit

I've heard something similar along the lines of this. Apparently Ford is trying to put in a system inside of the vehicles for biometric scans and to analyze facial expressions and to read lips. I've also heard that Ford is trying to implement another system to where the vehicle would drive itself to a dealership if too many payments are missed.

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SVTContour@reddit

That or pull a fuse. The tech has to be installed; the law doesn’t say that you can’t turn it off.

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4Yk9gop@reddit

While this is true, it's harder than one might think. E.g. if I want to disable On-Star in certain Chevy vehicles, I can pull a fuse, but that also disabled forward collision warning. I don't want to have on my conscious an accident caused by removing a saftey feature.

Similarly, let's say I want to remove GPS and 5g from certain Ford models. In that case you get to take apart the dash and hear rattles for the rest of the service life of the car because it never goes back together as smoothly outside the factory.

All of this is before you get into the fact that most people don't have the knowledge or time to do any of this. It's also ignoring the fact that some of this bullshit could get roped into inspection centers in certain states required to keep your vehicle on the road.

At the end of the day, the vehicle surveillance "advancements" will win out because insurance will insist on them, the car manufacturers will want them so they can sell your data, the dealerships will want them so they can more easily repo your car or blame your for warranty problems because you drove your car too hard (plus they bankroll the politicians). The consumer gets fucked. Every time.

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apimpnamedkirby@reddit

You could technically run the collision sensor to its own fuse.

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Forker1942@reddit

The impairment system in bmw seems pretty good. It doesn’t phone home but if you seem like you’re having a stroke or fell asleep it’ll pull over and call 911

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danielson2047@reddit

Awwwww bless your little heart.

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danielson2047@reddit

If they use it to limit everyone to the speed limit, I’m not sure that’s a bad thing.

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SquirrelNormal@reddit

If you really think it will stop at that or anywhere near it, I have so many things to sell you. I might even be able to retire.

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danielson2047@reddit

I don’t, I’m just not sure I care. Have you been on the roads recently? Lol.

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SquirrelNormal@reddit

Yeah, not doing the speed limit is like... the fiftieth worst thing. Not worth allowing this kind of shit into our lives.

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danielson2047@reddit

Didn’t say it was.

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SquirrelNormal@reddit

Didn’t say it was.

If they use it to limit everyone to the speed limit, I’m not sure that’s a bad thing.

You kind of did. In pretty plain language.

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danielson2047@reddit

I did not say not doing the speed limit is “the filthiest worst thing”. People doing 20+ over are pretty shitty. If they limited vehicle speed electronically, I would assume they’d use current speed limits. Is that spelled out enough for ya?

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SquirrelNormal@reddit

Cool, so you were being intentionally obtuse by addressing something other than the reasonable, obvious thing to reply to.

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hotrods1970@reddit

https://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/1suuk7c/federal_surveillance_tech_becomes_mandatory_in/

Or Google has lots of sources if you search for it. I was off a year and will edit my post.

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AuntJemimah7@reddit

https://www.kbb.com/car-news/nhtsas-new-kill-switch-law-approaches-key-deadline/

It's a bit fucked

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Plane_Translator2008@reddit

Well, the "good news" is that if Trump keeps tanking the economy with his tariffs and unnecessary wars, most of us won't be driving a 2027 until around 2043.

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ZucchiniAlert2582@reddit

The ‘new bill/law’ is bullshit; there’s nothing to it, just some vague language about concepts of plans to be implemented at a later date. Scaremongers have been running wild with this for weeks.

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Eisgeschoss@reddit

Every system of oppression initially starts out as "just some concepts/ideas to be implemented at some later time", which is why societies should immediately and aggressively nip it in the bud as soon as it's even mentioned.

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john464646@reddit

God I thought cars nagging about eyes on road was bad. Though I am basically progressive left wing, I can empathize with nanny state right wing backlash.

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Nervous_Hurry_9920@reddit

My lord. Orwellian AF.

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saladmunch2@reddit

I bet it will still end up costing as much as a maverick after everything is said and done. Im probably wrong but thats the world we live in now...

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michaelfkenedy@reddit

Why can’t they make a fully electric sub-compact truck that isn’t bezos?

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StashuJakowski1@reddit

Ford is soon, it’ll sport the Ranchero nameplate.

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Inflatable90sChair@reddit

Which have they given dimensions? The slate is old school squarebody ranger and s10 sized. The ranchero was built on a fullsize car platform origionally

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1250Sean@reddit

Wasn’t the first generation Ranchero based on the compact Falcon?

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LastkingofPasadena@reddit

That was the 2nd gen.

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1250Sean@reddit

You’re right.

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StashuJakowski1@reddit

It’ll be built on the upcoming UEV platform. They haven’t released the exact dimensions but it’ll be similar in size to the Maverick.

https://www.motortrend.com/news/2028-ford-ranchero-ev-truck-everything-we-know

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michaelfkenedy@reddit

Nice!

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Insertsociallife@reddit

You mean like Telo?

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michaelfkenedy@reddit

Forgot about Telo.

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Probot6767@reddit

Wife has a deposit on one! Hopefully they work out!

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DonFrio@reddit

I really hope they make it long term

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OregonMothafaquer@reddit

Rivian hype… they’re rated as the least reliable brand currently

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GetawayDriving@reddit

A Prius is a hybrid. The Ford Maverick Hybrid exists.

Slate trucks are almost exactly what you’re describing. Ford is also working on one.

The reason it’s hard is because the market disagrees with you, 150-200 miles of range is not enough. There is an entire graveyard of companies who have tried to produce low mileage EV fleet vehicles and they don’t sell.

So it’s clear they either need to be longer range (which makes them more expensive) or cheaper. Making a battery electric vehicle cheaply is very hard ::gestures broadly at the global auto industry::

Slate is trying. Ford is trying. We’ll see if they succeed.

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OregonMothafaquer@reddit

This is true. I’m 150 miles to the nearest veterans hospital. So, 300 mile round trip and I’d want an extra 100 miles margin of error

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LivingGhost371@reddit

There's no charging stations on that route?

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OregonMothafaquer@reddit

From research they’re usually swamped. The VA hospital might get some in a few years. I’m considering a model Y once my credit allows

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soft_taco_special@reddit

That's fair for you but you're describing a niche requirement that the vast vast majority of people don't have. It's incredibly rate for most people to gas up and drain the tank in a single day and the majority of people don't fill up more than once a week. It's not a practical problem for people, it's a psychological one.

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iopturbo@reddit

You ever go on a road trip?

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soft_taco_special@reddit

Generally two or three trips a year over a thousand miles.

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OPisOK@reddit

My office is 50 miles away. 100 miles round trip. 150 mile range is not enough.

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soft_taco_special@reddit

But it has electrolytes, it's what plants crave.

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JollyToby0220@reddit

They aren’t expensive to build. They’re probably cheaper and require less manufacturing. Only thing holding everyone back is the supply chain. On the one hand, the supply chain has been perfected for ICE. The supply chain for battery isn’t optimized. It’s not just about shipping one thing from point A to point B, it’s about where to put things so you aren’t wasting time, or resources. As it stands, no one knows what the future of batteries looks like so no is willing to invest in the infrastructure just yet. It might be that today Lithium is the best. But what happens if some other composition works better. Then, you’d have to uproot your entire manufacturing base just for that. It could be that you the next location is over 100 miles from your current location. That could add up quickly, from a few million to billions. Investors are always scared of this happening because even if you provide a premium service at a loss, a better technology just has to wait you out. And then of course the giants don’t want to invest either because their supply chains are perfect for ICE. All the steel and petroleum they need, their factories are at the optimal location. By the way, Musk got very lucky. Those small batteries he puts in his car were about to go out of production. Cellphones massively changed the form factor of the batteries desired, opting for a slender form factor. But now, there are actually manufacturers who specialize in car EV batteries. And a lot of these are in China, which has allowed China to mass produce EV cars. They aren’t necessarily highly sophisticated, and they didn’t do a lot of research, but years of doing this lead to significant improvements that have stabilized their manufacturing capacity. In short, we would need to build our own batteries so that it isn’t too expensive. And we aren’t ready, nor do investors want to gamble so much when a better chemistry is found. By the way, the chemistry part is the biggest issue. Raw lithium is found many forms, each of which requires its own process to be usable. So that pretty much dictates how the supply chain is built. But as it stands, the only strong supply chain originates in China which would require shipping to California. But this also takes weeks, so it’s possible that some importer will probably make a whole warehouse. That’s fine and all, until you realize that storing a bunch of these things in one place is not only dangerous but also crazy. So the best solution is to have a direct supply to the maker

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PawPawsLilStinker@reddit

Well they better HURRY because I WON'T spend a dime over 5k for a 20 year old one

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liftguy111@reddit

Google Telo Truck. 500 hp and the size of a Mini Cooper Clubman.

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wpmason@reddit

They can… a few are planned.

But selling them is still a major question mark.

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Top_Wop@reddit

They can, but there's not ough profit in it for maje it worthwhile,

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Snoo59759@reddit

Like a telo mini truck?

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principalNinterest@reddit

Forget fully electric. Give me the Slate with a 22RE installed

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MEMExplorer@reddit

Ur describing the Slate . Ford should make a Maverick EV

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No_Mushroom3078@reddit

Like a Ford Maverick but EV?

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unit1_nz@reddit

Riddara RD6 enters the chat.

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Synicism77@reddit

Ford will have a fully electric Maverick compact pickup later year.

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TiFist@reddit

The trick isn't in building it, the trick is convincing the conservative truck buyer that they could drive something that doesn't run on gas or diesel.

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JizzyMcKnobGobbler@reddit

It's still towing that fks you in an electric truck. I don't think truck owners are as hurr-durr anti-electric as they're portrayed. Most of us love power and torque. I just can't deal with draining my battery in supersonic speed because I need to tow. And often people who tow are doing so on a highway where they need to make miles (versus, say, a landscaper in town going between jobsites where an electric truck could potentially have enough charge for a day). Stopping every 150 or 200 kms to charge with a trailer attached sounds miserable to me.

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Cambren1@reddit

I tow a travel trailer over 3k miles a year with a Standard Range Lightning. I actually really enjoy it. I like the 1/2 hour stops every couple of hours, keeps things relaxing.

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IWantToBeWoodworking@reddit

This would be hell for me. When I’m on the road I just wanna get where I’m going. I can make an 11 hour drive (not towing) in just two stops with kids. If I’m making a 4 hour drive and stopping to charge up once for half an hour then maybe I don’t mind it.

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Cambren1@reddit

I grew up traveling all over the country by motorcycle, it’s so easy by comparison, but still a bit of adventure, planning stops, etc.

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plywooden@reddit

I like Edison Motors hybrid approach - Using a very small diesel to run a generator to keep batteries charged for the electric drive motor(s). Not sure if they're doing passenger trucks yet but that's their plan. Their work / logging trucks have been very successful.

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JankyTundra@reddit

Not necessarily a diesel generator, but Scout (VW) is trying to do the same thing.

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UrbanPanic@reddit

Off topic, but I’m pretty sure Edison’s approach is geared primarily towards logging and mining at elevation. In that case you’d often be going uphill empty and coming down with heavy loads, taking advantage of regenerative braking to really crank that efficiency up while avoiding wear and tear on brake pads. Niche use case, but absolutely the right tool for the job.

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TiFist@reddit

Nissan has been doing serial hybrids overseas for a while (the engine only charges the battery--no mechanical connection between the battery and the wheels). The first to be sold in the US will be the Rogue starting next model year. No word on if it's going to ever trickle down to trucks. Given a sufficiently large battery, it should work.

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plywooden@reddit

I think Edison will be making "kits" if I'm not mistaken. I imaging 1/2, 3/4 and 1 ton pickups will be popular.

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the_TAOest@reddit

This is the most interesting approach to me

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TiFist@reddit

I mean there's also the i3 w/ range extender and i8 but those aren't so trucky!

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TiFist@reddit

That's a valid criticism, especially if it's not used as something like a city/delivery truck (your landscaper example). The reality is that many buyers won't tow much if ever though. This is probably truer the smaller the format of the truck which is what the OP was suggesting.

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IWantToBeWoodworking@reddit

The problem with the argument that most trucks don’t two or at least not often is that it doesn’t matter what actually happens, what matters is what they think when they make the purchase. “I could buy a boat”, “I could buy a rzr”, etc… additionally most wouldn’t want to tow even once a year with an electric truck. You think about how big those batteries are and how fast they drain towing and you’re drastically increasing charging time versus an electric sedan.

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the_real_some_guy@reddit

I’m holding off on a Superduty purchase to see if they add a hybrid for 2027. I drove the F150 hybrid and loved it.

No electric truck has the towing range I need. I also own off grid, 100% solar powered property, so yeah electricity is awesome but batteries just aren’t there yet.

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saladmunch2@reddit

Especially if you are going to more remote places, the charging network just isnt as widespread as needed yet.

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Aggressive_Ask89144@reddit

I don't think convincing people is the hard part, it's the dilemma of the fact that most people are all to happy to spend 60-100k on a truck and why offer a compact that could mean one less sale of that?

GM simply doesn't make anything smaller than the Colorado in eagle land and Ford solves it by making the Maverick the same price as the Ranger 😭.

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transmission612@reddit

Once they used EV truck market starts getting going I will gladly drive a F150 EV its just the new price is above a lot of people's budgets. I'd like a bare bones model F150 lighting if they could get the brand new cost down in that $45k or lower while having 4x4 and decent range i think a lot more people driving ICE trucks would be a little more tempted to convert.

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wahoorider@reddit

I scooped up a low mileage used Lightning recently... It's fantastic. There are solid arguments for getting an ICE model, but if you aren't towing 200+ miles a day and can charge at home it's a game changer.

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dinglebarryb0nds@reddit

I great great great great grandpa had an electric car in 1800, give it like 500 more years and they will catch on

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BlazinAzn38@reddit

I’ll add that 150 miles range flat without towing or a payload it going to be an instant no-go

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Natural_Psychology_5@reddit

Espically the way range is calculated. (Ev truck Owner here) 150 range yay… wait don’t go under 20% or the vehicle is going to bitch at you…. Down to 120. But wait can’t charge over 80% or the vehicle is going to bitch at you down to 90. But wait that is on a nice sunny day where you don’t need ac and don’t need heat and the battery chemistry is happy. Down to what 60-70 miles of non highway driving most of the year?

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TiFist@reddit

I'd tend to agree-- I'm looking for a realistic 300-350 miles at highway speeds, as an ideal and a realistic 200-250 miles as a bare minimum but there's a market for anything if the price is right.

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Millkstake@reddit

And make them not cost $80,000+

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MilkBumm@reddit

This

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skylinesora@reddit

Nah, the bigger trick is selling it at a price range people want to pay and prevent the dealerships from jacking it up like crazy

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someguy7234@reddit

I'm going to disagree with this one. I know it's popular to hate on truck owners and conservatives, but I was a midsize truck lover, and the demand for small pickup trucks way outlived the availability.

Tons of people wanted midsized trucks, but CAFE standards make them uneconomical. I'm not hating on CAFE standards. I remember when driving into Chicago looked like the Oncelers factories in the Lorax. I'm just saying it wasn't a lack of demand that killed the midsized market in the late 2000s.

I bought the Colorado when it hit its 2nd gen refresh because I wanted a midsized, and I thought that IT was too large (coming from a sport trac). For all intents and purposes, the Colorado/Ranger are what an F-150 used to be.

The maverick is selling very strongly though today. I saw one this weekend and thought... Damn... If we didn't tow and have huge dogs, I'd buy the shit out of that truck. A mild hybrid midsize with a short bed - that was the dream truck through my 20s.

I've been really rooting for the Ram charger. What I want is a range extender hybrid that plugs in for my commute and does 80% of it's miles all electric, and can tow (at 10mpg) a utility trailer or an RV all 8 weekends a year we do that.

There are shitheads in the truck community, but id bet the majority of Silverado owners would trade their fucking AFM/DFM lifter problems for a reliable affordable hybrid. And frankly if I could stop for 10 mins and charge to 80% and the infrastructure was there... Shit, I might be convinced to buy a BEV.

But the biggest bogey is value. BEVs are very expensive for the capability you get. Makes sense for a sedan or crossover today. I'm still on the lookout for a truck where I'd say "that's a good value".

But if you think fuel type is a political position, go down to your local Tesla dealer and ask some people who they voted for. I think you're going to find a lot of conservatives, with trucks in their driveways. and I. Spite of that they aren't buying cyber trucks... Because they are a bad value...

If a good value BEV truck was available, they would be selling. If the industry had started with PHEVs or EREVs instead of BEVs, they would have been a lot more popular.

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ExtraBubblyMan@reddit

Shouldn't be too hard these days

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LongOrganization7838@reddit

They can and do in other countries but the US wont let it get to their market because it wont pass safety and will be subject to things like the chicken tax that block all other small trucks

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Sad-Celebration-7542@reddit

Waaaaay fewer people actually want a subcompact truck. Especially with low range. Reddit might disagree

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Rough_Cancel7265@reddit

People like trucks to do truck stuff. A small truck with no range, no payload and no towing capacity is a very hard sell.

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The-Rizzler-69@reddit

Idk there's a lot of big-ass, capable trucks that are kept as sparkly pavement princesses that are lucky to actually haul anything truck-worthy once a year lol

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Rough_Cancel7265@reddit

I don't disagree. But to your point why aren't these pavement princesses all Mavericks and Colorados

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Toxiczoomer97@reddit

Small trucks are the ones that actually get used. They’re for people like me, I don’t want a truck but I need one. So I have a Maverick.

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saladmunch2@reddit

How is the maverick engine power working for you? Its only a inline 3 right?

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Toxiczoomer97@reddit

Inline 4 turbo for me. I have the 2025 and the engine is great in my opinion, I love the truck all around.

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saladmunch2@reddit

Ah ok, ya I got some wrong information somewhere, I just heard it in passing. Im glad you like the truck, it does seem nice if you are looking for a smaller truck.what is gas mileage like for you with that engine option?

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FloridaMan_Inc@reddit

Neither of the engine options on the Maverick are 3 cylinders. They're both 4 cylinders, the non-hybrid version has a turbo.

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saladmunch2@reddit

Oh geez well idk where i heard my information from but thanks for clearing that up. That sounds like much better options.

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wbrd@reddit

There's an immaculate super duty dually by me that's jacked up too high to actually use the bed or even tow.

Meanwhile, every Ranger type truck is dented to hell and obviously used as a work vehicle.

Unless you're in a rural area, 90% of trucks are driven by people who use them as commuter vehicles and the biggest thing they have ever hauled came from IKEA.

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The-Rizzler-69@reddit

Because a lot of people are convinced they need more "truck" than they realistically do? I mean idk what to tell you, I'm not a suburbanite/city person with an unnecessarily large truck. You'd have to ask those people if you want a real answer to your question

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firm_hand-shakes@reddit

Could be because the prices now are near identical. If the Mav was still 20k it would be an easier sell than the 40k Mav next to the 45k f150 where you can actually fit in the back seat and haul 10k lbs.

Yeah you can get a new one for around 30k out the door but 10k difference looks a lot better than 20k when you’re getting more truck for your money.

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ThePartyLeader@reddit

its very interesting considering the fan base of old weak ass S10 and Ranger fanboys. Baja cults. And so on.

Trucks use to move sofas, now they have to drag campers more expensive than my houses.

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cbf1232@reddit

The Maverick seems pretty popular.

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timsayscalmdown@reddit

El Camino reboot based on the Equinox EV platform? I would buy the fuck out of that.

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Inflatable90sChair@reddit

Gm needs a kick in the ass to make fun stuff again. Coulda brought back the k5 blazer as a bronco competator, could bring back the s10 as a maverick competator or make it a slate competator called the E-10 but nooo we need a 7th crossover to fit between our other 6

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NoPersimmon7434@reddit

There are recent rumors that the Jimmy is back in development. If GM actually follows through, there’s a chance the Blazer becomes cool again.

The Camaro is also being brought back, along with a Buick sedan and a new generation of the CT5. They’re moving in the right direction.

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HoraceGrand@reddit

I just had a Sentra rental and immediately was like, "this should have a 2 door UTE version. That costs $25k

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Justthetip74@reddit

Outside of reddit very few people want one. They sold 150,000 Mavericks and 800,000 f150s. Youre asking for a less capable Maverick (considering when towing your range drops to 1/3 of advertised) for the same amount of money

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Limp_Bookkeeper_5992@reddit

Ok, but even if we assume that’s over the same time period Mavericks have been hard to find for years, have premium financing rates and are often over sticker. In the other hand yes f150’s sell but they have every model and colour available on the lot, financing is cheap and incentives still get thrown at them all the time. If ford actually tried as hard to move Mavericks as they do F150’s those numbers would be a lot different, but Ford likes the bigger profits they get from selling bigger trucks.

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Justthetip74@reddit

I disagree. You cant put 2 adults and a car seat in a maverick and not be miserable

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Limp_Bookkeeper_5992@reddit

How big are the adults in your area if they need a F150 just to fit a baby in the back? Maybe there’s not actually a truck problem here…

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Justthetip74@reddit

Im 6'4" and I'm assuming you dont have young kids that need a full size car seat because their seats take up more room than me, especially when facing backward

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United-Programmer-19@reddit

I had my mother test drive a maverick when she was buying a new car. I thought she might like being able to get rid of her truck and only having 1 vehicle. Im 6'5" and man, that thing while fun to drive was not very comfortable. I'm spoiled tho, I am used to my roomy 2500 crew cab

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IWantToBeWoodworking@reddit

Loved my Tacoma until I had two kids in full size car seats. Took two months after having the second kid to decide on a minivan. Car seats are the bane of small vehicles.

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itsjakerobb@reddit

Rivian R1T isn’t huge. That’s a midsize truck.

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jhawk3205@reddit

EV kei trucks would be dope af

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Upstairs-Result7401@reddit

The real question is would anyone buy it enough to keep it being manufactured.

Practically all the cheap small cars gone. Customers have spoken.

Base model vehicles practically gone. Customers have spoken.

Sedans practically gone. Customers have spoken.

Lots filled with trucks, CUV's, and SUV's. Customers have spoken.

I truly hope the Slate truck does make it. Because if get a better job with a annoying commute. Its on the dream list. Especially with the shell on the back.

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Scott43206@reddit

I wish I'd bought and mothballed the red 1990 Hardbody standard cab 2WD stick with AC I test drove that year... who knew that sort of thing would go extinct?

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jack-t-o-r-s@reddit

Don't overthink or over complicate "why".

"Why?" Is simple.

1) We don't want it at scale.

2) It would cost too much.

There is a lot of nuance to #1. In America?. Objectively China is the largest new car market in the world and they don't demand pick up trucks. The US is the second largest market in the world and we don't demand electric cars.

There is more to #1. We are spoiled. There is no g. un to our heads stopping us from buying F350 diesels let alone Silverados and F150s.

If I'm an American and I'm spending 75-100k on a NEW pick-up... I'm getting the Platinum gas/diesel with EVERYTHING on it, long (petroleum) range and 5 minute worldwide fill ups.

2) government subsidies ending in the US have stripped the profitablity of EVs for automakers on the average.

Could Ford sell AWD EV Mavericks with 200 mile range and make the same if not more profit per unit than they do with gas models? 🤔 No. And even less compared to F150...

Average profit margin Ford sees on a Maverick is 8-12%

Average on the F150 is 20-30%

You tell me why Ford is focused on selling.gas F150s.

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ApprehensiveWash7969@reddit

Honestly, give it time. Electric vehicles appear to be taking the same pricing route as computers. They seem to be getting cheaper with time.

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RingOk664@reddit

I worked with a few EV companies before I retired. Rivian, Karma, and Ocean were my customers. Tariffs have really messed things up. Raw materials are getting very expensive. Now that the EV tax credit has been eliminated, less interest from the public. Problems with lithium batteries doesn't help. Fires that don't extinguish is a major concern. Charging in cold weather is a challenge. Curious what the future brings.

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PreMixYZ@reddit

A fully electric Ford Maverick (codenamed P833) is planned for production starting around June 2027

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TSLAog@reddit

Get in line for a SLATE truck. 🛻 can’t wait for mine.

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Donkey_Ali@reddit

You mean like this? https://www.geely.nz/riddara-rd6

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hamburgernet@reddit

Slate is what you’re looking for

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lordjakir@reddit

Telo says hi

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Smooth_Discussion367@reddit

There is a company in Canada it's a startup making diesel-electric hybrid for commerical(logging) use. No spy on-board

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hatred-shapped@reddit

The market isn't there for it

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PoopSmith87@reddit

They wouldnt make enough money selling them and it would cut into the full size sales... same reason we dont get sub compact gas trucks or the hilux diesel.

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metaldad68@reddit

Doesn’t Honda make a EV Ridgeline?
Sorry I could be wrong.

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saladmunch2@reddit

An electric Ford maverick would be perfect. I really love the maverick but it seems many dont. I always loved the s10's that I had over the years, i could fit 3 full-size dirt bikes in that thing and everyone's hear and haul us all up north. I hear the maverick engine is lacking though, isnt it only a 3 cylinder? That seems so tiny

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nopester24@reddit

Check out SLATE. Working on a small electric truck now

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RobertForTheWin@reddit

There are four big reasons why we don't have a modern electric Ford Ranger from the 90s, and they are mostly about law and physics, not lack of want.

First is the CAFE standards and the footprint rule. In the US, fuel economy requirements are based on the area between the wheels. If you make a small truck, you have to hit incredibly high MPG numbers that are almost impossible even for EVs when you account for the energy used. If you make the truck bigger, the government gives you a much easier target. This is the main reason trucks have grown into monsters.

Second is the physics of EVs. A truck is an aerodynamic brick. To get 200 miles of range in a truck while carrying a load, you need a significantly larger battery than a VW Golf needs. That battery is heavy, which requires a heavier frame and suspension, which requires a bigger motor. It’s a weight spiral that quickly turns a sub-compact into a mid-size vehicle just to handle the battery weight.

Third is safety. Modern crash tests are brutal. To pass a side-impact or roof-crush test today, you need thick pillars and massive doors. By the time you engineer a small cab to be safe, it has grown significantly in size.

Finally, there is the profit margin. It costs almost as much to develop a small electric truck as it does a big one, but people won't pay 60,000 dollars for a small one. Manufacturers would rather sell a few high-profit luxury trucks like the Rivian than millions of low-profit compact trucks.

The closest thing we have is the Ford Maverick, but even that is much larger than the old compact trucks we remember. Until battery density doubles and regulations change, the sub-compact pickup is likely staying dead.

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Brilliant-Onion2129@reddit

Because when you load or tow with a pickup (literally what they are built for). The battery life drops to a laughably low point!

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Admirable-Wash540@reddit

How about you make a separate electric car guys sub Reddit please for the love of God and kilowatts

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ryzenguy111@reddit

The upcoming Ford UEV truck is basically this, but it has 300mi of range

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Ponklemoose@reddit

It probably should, I think reviewers are going to load it up to its max GVWR and show the range drop down closer to OP’s number.

Most of the buyers will never move something large and heavy 100 miles, but that kind of info drives sales.

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cbf1232@reddit

Weight doesn't hurt range nearly as much as wind resistance. Haul a cargo trailer and it's going to hurt range much more than just loading it down.

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Ponklemoose@reddit

True, but a reviewer with any sense is going to find some large heavy (aero destrying) thing to tow because it will look heavier than a load of sand.

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DriveRightCarBuying@reddit

Came to say this. Ford is working on it right now. We should know what it looks like here in another few months. Super high hopes for their low cost EV platform.

Baby EV Bronco would be the dream.

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StashuJakowski1@reddit

Yep, they’re also pulling out the Ranchero name for it too.

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StashuJakowski1@reddit

Ford is rolling out with one pretty soon that be called the Ranchero.

https://www.motortrend.com/news/2028-ford-ranchero-ev-truck-everything-we-know

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Inflatable90sChair@reddit

I dont even like the shape of that. The slate at least reminds me of the squarebody rangers and s10s. This reminds me of those electric stadium golf cart things

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Fun_Muscle9399@reddit

Rivians aren’t huge. They’re heavy, but no bigger really than most half ton ICE trucks. I wish you could get an R1T with a bigger bed.

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AdFun5641@reddit

Marketing/markup.

If you can make a sub-compact truck for 15k and sell it for 20k, you get 5k profit per sale. Then you have to do marketing on things like efficency and ease of use (not big selling points)

If you make a super jumbo mega double Truck for 50k and sell it for 75k, you get 25k profit per sale. Then you can do marketing on things like "16 kagillion horsepower" and "commanding view of the road"

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Head_Rate_6551@reddit

Slate

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Spirited_Taste4756@reddit

The R1T isn’t huge at all. My buddy has one and I have a 2009 Tacoma and they are similar sized pickup trucks.

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cilvre@reddit

you can get a kei truck and electric convert it: https://cmvte.com/product/kei-truck-electric-conversion-kit/

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Inflatable90sChair@reddit

Unless you live in a state that bans them from the road

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BigSkyHawk1@reddit

Ford is doing that right now.

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Objective-Elk-1660@reddit

They CAN, but companies exist to make money and it's more profitable to sell big expensive trucks instead. It sucks but it's not really about you or your needs or what's best for society, it's about making money.

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The_Tipsy_Turner@reddit

That hardly exists in an ICE variant...

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Beartrkkr@reddit

Because no one wants one outside of a handful of people.

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shadracko@reddit

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radar_RD6

They exist outside the US market. US is just dumb.

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Toowoombaloompa@reddit

I'm not 100% familiar with USA naming but isn't "sub-compact" a really small vehicle like a Fiat 500 or other city car?

That Geely car is a competitor to the Ford Ranger.

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ProbablyNotaCar@reddit

The problem with trucks in general is that a lot of the typical truck owners don’t think it can be a truck with out having body on frame, and anything smaller than a ranger isn’t body on frame. There is some success with the maverick but more so from non truck people and as a simple work vehicle. Electric trucks have the same problem. By making effectively an electric vw golf Ute you would have a very limited target market. Most people just settle for the closest thing to what they want so it’s not cost effective to build something for the 1 percent.

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corporaterebel@reddit

Jeff has listened to you:

https://techcrunch.com/2026/04/12/slate-auto-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-bezos-backed-ev-startup/

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DilapidatedPlum@reddit

If I'm getting an EV it would be that thing. So far at least.

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No_Cut4338@reddit

Until now the tooling required to make a vehicle specifically for Southern California buyers hasn't really been cost effective.

Time will tell if slate has cracked the code.

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Prudent_Situation_29@reddit

Probably market. You only build things people want to buy.

If their market research doesn't indicate lots of people want one, they won't build one.