Vehicle Review

Electric Truck Rivals

THE FORD F-150 LIGHTNING AND GMC HUMMER EV GO ABOUT EV PICKUPS IN VERY DIFFERENT WAYS

ELECTRIC VEHICLES ARE SEEMINGLY EVERYWHERE RIGHT NOW. THAT IS, IF YOU ARE FOLLOWING NEW-CAR INTRODUCTIONS. OUT THERE ON THE ROAD, THEY ARE STILL A NICHE VEHICLE, BUT THE MARKET IS GROWING, AND AUTOMAKERS ARE KEEN TO CORNER THE SMALL-BUT-GROWING SEGMENT IN ANY WAY THEY CAN.

The most sensible EV is a small, lightweight vehicle, such as the Chevrolet Bolt or Nissan LEAF, but they just don’t fit our modern appetites. For much of the country, only a truck will do.

The two biggest truck-makers in America have each entered the electric fray (that’s a half-decent band name), and they have gone about it in different formats. The 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning is essentially an electric version of the conventional F-150, offering all the same versatility as the truck on which it is based. Meanwhile, the 2023 GMC Hummer EV is a ground-up new vehicle that is positioned as more of a lifestyle vehicle. In fairness, both trucks are not necessarily going to frequent worksites, but what do they offer the everyday driver? And which of these two trucks has staying power?

Let’s get right into the price, because electric vehicles carry a premium over their ICE (internal combustion engine) counterparts. That’s just the price of being early. The 2023 Ford F-150 Lightning starts at $59,974 at the time of this writing. We have to note the timing because the Lightning was originally advertised as a $40K electric truck. Considering how much folks are paying for trucks these days, that was an impressive figure. Since then, Ford has announced several price hikes. Now, the Lightning costs as much as a well-equipped F-150 Lariat, and the generous list of standard features on the Lightning helps justify that, including a fully digital instrument panel, 12-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, heated front seats, and dual-zone automatic climate control. It still has vinyl upholstery and manual front seats. To get actual goodies, you’ll want to move up to the actual Lightning Lariat trim, which costs nearly $70,000. The range-topping F-150 Lightning Platinum costs $98,000.

That might seem steep, but that fully loaded price is still less than the starting price for the 2023 GMC Hummer EV, which comes in at $108,300. Unlike Ford, which is offering multiple trim and battery/motor levels, the Hummer EV is only offered in one trim and one massively powerful setup. In the coming year or so, GMC will offer additional, less-powerful battery/motor combinations. In spite of the high price, all initial versions of this truck have been snatched up. And none of these prices for either truck factor in dealer markups, which can be steep.

So what does a six-figure price tag get you in an electric pickup? The GMC Hummer EV has four motors making 1,000 horsepower and a stupendous 1,200 pound-feet of torque. And providing charge for this is a massive 212.7-kilowatt-hour battery pack. The whole truck weighs 9,000 pounds, and yet it can still sprint from zero to 60 mph in just three seconds. With all that weight, the Hummer EV also benefits from regenerative braking, which can capture energy from the deceleration process.

When not putting down 0-60 runs, the Hummer EV has an estimated range of 329 miles, and thanks to DC fast charging, a 350-kW charger (which are not everywhere…yet) can add 100 miles of range in just 10 minutes.

The Hummer EV has four-wheel steering. You may have seen the “crab walk” ads, where the truck can move forward and laterally at the same time. More importantly, the front and rear wheel sets can turn independently from one another, allowing the big truck to turn like a much smaller vehicle. This is critical for maneuvering in the malls and shopping centers in which this truck will likely dwell.

Other fun features on the Hummer EV include a power-retractable tonneau bed cover, GMC’s MultiPro Tailgate, and clear, removable roof panels. It also has a futuristic cabin with massive screens, wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless Android Auto, a power-retractable rear window, a Bose premium stereo system, massaging front seats, and GM’s Super Cruise semi-autonomous driving system. Towing capacity is listed at 7,500 pounds, and range drops off when towing, though it’s not entirely clear yet by how much.

The F-150 Lightning can tow up to 10,000 pounds on the extended-range model, which is certainly better, but not the 14,000 pounds that the ICE F-150 is capable of. The base battery can tow just 5,000 pounds, and like the Hummer, the range with the Lighting falls when towing.

There are two battery sizes available on the F-150 Lightning, dependent upon trim selected. The Pro, XLT, and Lariat trims come equipped with a 98-kWh battery pack. The range-topping Platinum comes with a 131-kWh extended-range battery, which is optional on the XLT and Lariat trims. The extended-range battery provides up to 320 miles on the XLT and Lariat and 300 miles on the Platinum. The standard-range battery provides 240 miles of range. With DC fast-charging, the battery can receive up to 54 miles of additional range every 10 minutes. With any of these batteries (GMC and Ford), using a Level 2 charger will take more than 20 hours. No matter the trim, the Lightning has a 0-60 time of around 4 seconds.

Both of these trucks have impressive straight line speed, but they also handle quite well. Thanks to the low center of gravity provided by the battery packs, there is little body roll in corners. In fact, you kind of forget just how large the Hummer EV is until you climb into a conventionally powered pickup truck. Whereas the Hummer EV’s interior and exterior design are meant to be completely different, the F-150 Lightning is meant to be lived in like a regular truck, where ample cabin space and plentiful cubbies and cupholders are expected. The shifter is the same, and that is a welcome lack of change.

The large infotainment screen in the F-150 Lightning presents some issues. For one, tasks that previously required one press of a button, such as simply changing the climate control or heated seats, now require multiple keystrokes. GMC seems to have solved this issue in a slightly better manner. There is a row of hard buttons beneath the massive touchscreen, and depending on the menu selected, the function of those buttons changes. In short, if you’re not into clunky touchscreens, you’re not going to like interfacing with these vehicles. However, if you’re in the market for an EV, there is some expectation of consumers possessing some technical literacy; unfortunately, these automakers just do not make it easy.

I can already hear some of you clamoring about the real cost of mining lithium, and while that argument seems to forget how oil is produced and refined, the Hummer EV’s battery certainly feels wasteful. GM could produce several Chevy Bolts with the same resources. It begs the question, just who are these trucks for? They certainly are not for the worksite. They are lifestyle trucks, but what do they say about the driver? That they care about the environment, but also that their truck has gobbled up the resources that could have been used to make multiple efficient and affordable smaller EVs?

Electric vehicles have a place in this world, but not as the massive, heavy, premium goods as which they are currently positioned. They should be city and suburban cars, operating where the charging network and driving styles can justify them. The hope is that these vehicles are development platforms that allow each automaker to understand what’s possible while they refine the idea of what EVs should be.