Fully electric pickups are suddenly all the rage—or, we should say, the possibility of them, as none of them have actually arrived.
Monday, news broke of another electric truck potentially in the works—this one from California-based, Chinese-funded Karma Automotive.
According to a Bloomberg report, directly citing Karma’s COO, Kevin Pavlov, the Karma pickup would be built on a new all-wheel-drive platform and would cost less than the $135,000 Karma Revero, which is built on a design carried over from the Fisker Karma.
The pickup and a future SUV that would share the architecture would be produced at its factory in Moreno Valley, California.
Pavlov led the supplier Magna International’s E-Car Systems, which included development for the Ford Focus Electric.
Karma Revero assembly at Karma Automotive factory, Moreno Valley, California, July 2016
Karma has two platforms that it plans to continue work on in the future. One of them is the extended range EV configuration from the Revero; the other is a fully electric platform due as soon as 2021.
The plan doesn't preclude Karma’s previously mentioned aim to shop its plug-in series-hybrid system, from the Revero, out to other companies—an EREV Conversion Project, as the company calls it—for potential development of an extended-range electric truck (EREV). Karma confirmed to Green Car Reports that the fully electric truck is separate from the EREV truck teased in November, and it emphasized that the extended-range tech is still a focus for the company.
"This Proof of Concept will show how flexible and viable EREV technology is across a wide range of vehicles, especially for the utility market—and it will demonstrate what Karma Technology can do for other companies," said spokesman Dave Barthmuss. "We believe extended-range powertrains represent a smart alternative to full battery systems, especially in larger vehicles used by businesses and fleets."
A fully electric Karma pickup might be a rival to the Rivian R1T, which is due to go into production in Illinois by the end of 2020; electric pickups are expected from both GM and Ford by the end of 2021.