Electric pick-up trucks run without burning fuel and create zero emissions, but they do a great deal more than that. They’re often more powerful than their gas equivalents and they can do things trucks have never been able to do before. Electric trucks can power tools and household appliances, and in some cases they can even run a full house during a power outage. Like most electric zero-emission vehicles, they also come with benefits such as reduced maintenance costs, additional storage under the hood, and potential access to federal government incentives, as well as provincial rebates where they exist.
There are also some challenges around pick-ups as electric vehicles. Whether balancing towing with range concerns will be realistic in the short term is up for debate, as is just how a pick-up towing a trailer will connect to most public chargers.
So far, only two electric pick-ups are on sale in Canada, but there are others on the way. Here's a closer look at the best existing and future electric pick-up trucks we’re expecting in Canada in 2024 and beyond.
Electric Pick-up Trucks for Canada
- Ford F-150 Lightning
- Rivian R1T
- Chevrolet Silverado EV
- Ram Electric 1500
- GMC Hummer EV Pickup
- Tesla Cybertruck
- Toyota EPU
Ford F-150 Lightning
The F-150 Lightning was the first electric truck to be announced by a mainstream automaker. So far, Ford is one of only two manufacturers that have actually delivered electric pick-up trucks to Canadian buyers.
Available with a 98 kWh standard battery pack with a driving range of 370 kilometres and power output of 452 horsepower, or a 131 kWh extended range battery pack that can go 515 km with output of 580 hp, the F-150 Lightning is powered by a pair of electric motors that create all-wheel drive. At a 150kW DC fast charger, the standard pack can recharge from 15 to 80% in roughly 36 minutes, while the extended-range pack can go from 15 to 80% in 41 minutes at a level 3 charging station.
With peak torque of 775 pound-feet, the electric F-150 offers more pulling power than any F-150 that came before it. Maximum towing capacity in the extended-range Lightning is 10,000 lbs—though early tests suggest towing is likely to be a serious drain on range—while payload peaks at 2,235 pounds. There is an available feature called Onboard Scales, which uses sensors to estimate payload and calculate how it will affect the truck’s range.
On the extended-range Lightning, the Pro Power Onboard feature is available, which adds household outlets at various points around the vehicle to provide electricity for external devices such as tools or small appliances. The Home Integration System can also let the truck power a full home during extended power outages.
Unfortunately, Canada doesn’t have access to a budget trim like the U.S. does. There’s a fleet-only standard-range Pro grade that starts at $61,395 including destination charges and fees, while the most affordable F-150 Lightning offered to the Canadian general public starts at an MSRP of $71,395 for a standard-range XLT. A Platinum will set you back you a cool $117,395 with fees.
Ford F-150 Lightning Review
Rivian R1T
When it began delivering R1T electric pick-ups to U.S. customers in 2022, EV startup Rivian beat legacy automakers to the punch. Deliveries to Canadian customers followed later in 2022 and remain nearly exclusive to British Columbia.
Power is delivered to both axles through either two or four motors, with combined output specs of up to 835 horsepower and 908 pound-feet of torque. The R1T comes with a standard 135-kWh battery pack and a range of 480 kilometres, a large pack with 566 km of range, or a large 180-kWh battery with a 660-kilometre range from a full charge.
Rivian has included some interesting storage solutions. A gear tunnel runs between the cab and the box, and it integrates an extra power point in an otherwise-untapped location for stowing gear. Plus, the door can even be used as a seat. There are 311 litres of storage in the frunk under the hood, along with a 12-volt outlet, and there’s another 405 litres of space tucked away below the 827-litre bed. The R1T’s promised max towing capacity is 11,000 pounds. In Canada, pricing starts at $109,000, not including delivery charges or other fees, which Rivian says vary based on your location.
Chevrolet Silverado EV
While the other two members of the Detroit Three are not delivering electric pick-ups as of yet, each has announced their intentions to do so.
From General Motors comes the Chevrolet Silverado EV, which will be powered by the same Ultium battery platform as that of the GMC Hummer EV. It will be capable of up to 640 kilometres of range. A pair of motors mounted to each axle for AWD will deliver up to 660 horsepower and 780 pound-feet of torque. Early models will have a peak towing capacity of 10,000 pounds.
GM’s Super Cruise semi-autonomous highway driving assist technology will be offered as an optional feature, and the Silverado EV will be available with the PowerBase charging system that integrates up to 10 household outlets. The first models to hit the market will be the RST First Edition. This was initially announced with a price of $119,948, though thanks to inflation we won’t be surprised to see a higher figure by the time the Chevy Silverado EV officially goes on sale in the first half of 2024.
Ram 1500 REV
Ram was the last of the legacy automakers in North America to announce its EV truck plans when it confirmed that the Ram 1500 REV will begin production in 2024.
Here’s what we know about the Ram 1500 REV in Canada so far. Estimated range is placed at 560 km with the standard 168 kWh battery pack, while the optional 229 kWh battery pack will provide up to 800 km. Power output is pegged at 654 hp and 620 lb‑ft of torque, delivering a 0 to 100 km/h time of 4.5 seconds. The brand is predicting a towing capacity of up to 14,000 pounds and a payload capacity of up to 1,700 pounds. Pricing is expected to be announced closer to the Ram 1500 REV’s arrival in Canadian dealerships toward the end of 2024.
GMC Hummer EV Pickup
As the GMC Hummer EV and Hummer EV Pickup have made the rounds at car shows across the country, it’s attracted as much attention as supercars do. Kids and adults alike climb into the driver’s seat to have photos snapped with huge smiles on their faces. Rarely have we seen any truck, electric or otherwise, generate this kind of buzz. And at an expected starting price of roughly $130,000 Canadian, it’s likely to be as exclusive as a supercar, too.
What do you get for that investment? Peak range is up to 571 km, while horsepower is listed at up to 1,000 hp and torque measures at up to 11,500 lb-ft. Some of the cooler functionality includes crab walk, which uses four-wheel steering to let the truck drive diagonally at low speeds, an adaptive air suspension with up to 15 centimetres of lift for impressive off-road capability, and the Watts to Freedom mode that takes the Hummer EV Pickup from 0 to 97 km/h (60 mph) in roughly 3 seconds.
And now the bad news: regular deliveries were meant to have started by now, but ordering and the waitlist remain closed as of the end of 2023.
Tesla Cybertruck
After years of speculation, it appears Tesla is driving out of electric car territory and Elon Musk’s Cybertruck is actually, finally going into production—for customers in the U.S., at least. Reservation holders have been offered the chance to order a US$120,000 Foundation Series version, and deliveries there have begun nearly two years behind schedule. Here in Canada, a visit to the Tesla homepage leads to the same pre-reservation portal that’s existed for years, and we have no information about pricing or when Canadian customers can expect deliveries.
What we do know is Tesla claims the Cybertruck will have a towing capacity of 11,000 pounds, a payload capacity of 2,500 pounds, an estimated range of 547 kilometres (or more than 700 km with a range extender, including on the Cyberbeast upgrade), and a 0 to 100 km/h time of 2.7 seconds. The Cybertruck’s powertrain will be able to supply up to 11.5 kW of power to a home during a power outage.
Toyota EPU
Toyota is later to the electric pick-up game, but the brand made waves at this year’s Tokyo Motor Show by putting its EPU Concept on the world stage. The Japanese marque has opted to go smaller for its first foray into electric pick-ups: the EPU’s footprint is smaller than a Tacoma. Because it’s still in concept form, no information has been released around power, range, price, or delivery dates. But it at least now seems very likely that an electric Toyota truck is on the way.