Utes are massively popular in Australia. We love the *ahem* utility of them, along with the fringe benefits tax exemptions that many ute buyers can benefit from. But where are all the electric utes?
It's miserable to say, but there aren't actually many electric utes coming down under. Not even some of the big-name ute makers like Toyota or Mitsubishi are getting into the mass electric game for some time, dragging their feet and having limited electric vehicles in their range.
But it won't stay this way forever. We'll see electric utes at some point in Australia, with very few confirmed and more that we're holding out hope for. Here's a look at electric utes coming in the future.
Confirmed for a local launch, the Rivian R1T likely won't come to Australia until 2024, long after the Amazon and Ford-backed startup has tested the waters in Europe. It can toe 4,989kg and is capable of 0-100km/h in about 3.3 seconds.
The Rivian R1t is priced at $US68,575, which is about $99,675 in Australia (but it will likely cost more for us Aussies).
Lacking the futuristic flare of many of the other utes on this list, the Ace Yewt is not a huge car, but it is more reasonably priced than other electric utes.
Priced at $25,995, with a release date expected for 2023, the Ace Yewt is capable of between 150 and 200km travel at partial load, with a maximum speed of 100km/h, achieving that in about 14 seconds.
It also has a maximum payload of 500kg and is being manufactured in Australia.
BYD local distributor EVDirect confirmed this month that it would be releasing a Ute as a member of its fleet in the Australian market next year.
We don't know much about the BYD Ute just yet, but it's likely to use BYD's proprietary Blade battery technology. It's also likely to be priced quite competitively, in line with BYD's now available Atto 3 electric SUV in Australia.
While these utes haven't been confirmed, we reckon they'll make their way down under at some point.
The Ford F-150 Lightning is not currently scheduled for Australian release, although trademarks have been filed within the country. It's a massively powerful truck-like ute, capable of 0-100km/h in about four seconds.
It also has a 3,492kg towing capacity and about 370km driving range. It's also priced at $US39,947, which translates to about $58,079 in Australia (though it will likely cost much more than that).
Although Toyota is currently trialling an electrified Toyota Landcruiser at mining sites in Australia and while there's a startup electrifying Hilux's, Toyota has built a concept for an electric Hilux.
The standard Hilux is one of the most popular utes in Australia, so it makes sense that one day we might see this concept vehicle.
https://youtu.be/M3C07uxyaWQ
The Tesla Cybertruck was originally expected to come to Australia, although the preorder button was removed earlier this year.
Interestingly, before then, Musk confirmed that the Cybertruck was not intended for sale outside of the U.S., however a smaller version of the Cybertruck might be released for the international market.
The LDV EV T60 was recently released in New Zealand, becoming the country's first electric ute. It hasn't been confirmed for release in Australia just yet.
With a range between 300 and 350km depending on the load, the LDV EV T60 is capable of carrying a 980km payload, although it's only available in RWD.
The LDV EV T60 starts at $NZ75,990, which is about $70,790 in Australia.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ojoMzpLZVOc
There are plenty of other electric utes currently in development, but whether or not they'll be coming to Australia we're unsure of.
But we do hope that these cars make their way down under. Perhaps Australia having fuel efficiency standards will help with that.
While you're here, why not check out our list of every new EV in Australia, or every electric vehicle coming to Australia.