designbivouac

Tesla has finally started shipping the Cybertruck. Whether you love or hate the polarizing design, it differentiates the vehicle while providing full-sized pickup functionality. Even though the Cybertruck arrived far later, with less range and at a steeper cost than Musk stated at its premiere in 2019, congratulations must go out to the Tesla team for pulling off some fantastic engineering. The bivouac hopes that Tesla won’t stop with the Cybertruck and will grow its lineup with a more accessible and mainstream mid-sized or compact truck.

The company initially aimed to produce electric vehicles at an attainable price to bring about positive environmental change at scale (here’s looking at you, $30,000 Model III). Visualized above is a more traditional yet progressive mid-sized truck design along the lines of what Tesla might consider for a mid-sized truck in its vehicle line. Rather than designing falcon wing doors and stainless steel exoskeletons, which admirably pushed the edge of manufacturing but also resulted in years of delays for the Model X and Cybertruck, Tesla can now focus on producing vehicles with more mainstream appeal.

The mid-sized truck market presents a remarkable opportunity to do just that. Dormant until recently, this segment is now seeing renewed consumer interest as OEMs introduce fresh and compelling new offerings. Many consumers are learning that today’s mid-sized trucks, which are about the size of full-sized trucks from around 20 years ago, perform better on tight off-road trails and are easier to live with daily in urban settings. Today’s mid-sized trucks have the power and capability to meet most consumer needs, whether heading to the closest mountain bike trail, picking up that load of mulch in the Spring, hauling your friend’s furniture across town, towing reasonable loads, or perhaps even topping the bed with a cap and heading out on a multi-day overland journey. The recent return of unibody compact trucks like the popular Ford Maverick or Hyundai Santa Cruz offers even more ease of living with one in the city. While true off-roading and heavy cargo capability may not be provided in the compact truck segment, overall efficiency and open-bed utility are available.

This revival of mid-sized and compact pickups presents a tremendous second chance for Tesla to produce an elegant, well-sized electric truck for the masses. Rather than relying on knife-edged styling and exotic, expensive, bulletproof zombie apocalypse materials, Tesla can return to basics and design an elegant, flexible, affordable, mid-sized truck. These are things that Tesla does better than anyone else. Things like excellent vehicle packaging, lightweight materials, parts reduction, the highest battery density, and best-in-class charging infrastructure are all vital to shipping a mid-sized truck capable of dominating the segment. More importantly, making a mainstream, attractive truck would result in a real contribution to the company’s initially stated goal of converting the entire automotive fleet to electric vehicles,

Regarding pickup styling, given all the attention electric pickups were getting in 2017, one could understand Tesla’s motivation for redefining the pickup truck entirely. GMC announced it was resurrecting the Hummer nameplate with the GMC Hummer EV supertruck. Ford surprised many with the quick launch of the F-150 Lightning, and droves of startups like Lordstown and Canoo were jumping into the mix.

A review of EV trucks launched to date reveals how difficult it can be to introduce a new design language to accompany a new type of vehicle in an established category. Rivian introduced a quirky, playful persona with its headlight facia, which is also somewhat polarizing. GMC relied on signature elements from the Hummer brand, ironically known for its previous range of gas-guzzling vehicles. Ford played it safe with an evolutionary design from their proven F-150 line. The Lordstown’s Endurance* evokes a “Stormtrooper” aesthetic for many.

The efforts of other OEMs to crack the code on how to evolve the entrenched aesthetic of the pickup and the rendering exercise resulting in the image above give new appreciation to what it takes to move a vehicle segment forward. That said, one can miss a brief entirely if a design is too progressive. Let’s hope that if Tesla chooses to move into the mid-sized truck segment, a “Mini-Me” Cypertruck will not be in the offing.

* Lordstown filed for bankruptcy in June of 2023. The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged bankrupt Lordstown Motors with misleading investors about the sales prospects of its Endurance electric pickup truck. Lordstown has agreed to pay $25.5 million as a result — money that the SEC says will go towards settling a number of pending class action lawsuits against the company.

MID-SIZED AND COMPACT PICKUPS