Why Midsize EV Pickup Trucks Are the Next Big Thing

• Whatever the size of an all-electric pickup truck, its towing capacity could prove troublesome.

• In a recent test of a Ford F-150 Lightning (pictured above) pulling a 23-foot Airstream trailer, the pickup lost about half its range, according to Electrek.

• If electric self-propelled trailers catch on, the size of your tow vehicle may not matter very much.

Suburban cowboys and cowgirls have embraced the bloating of full-size pickup trucks for the last quarter century. Modern “mid-size” trucks such as the Ford Ranger and Chevrolet Colorado/GMC Canyon are closer in size to the Ford F-150s and Silverado/Sierras of the late 1990s.

Intentionally or not, the EPA’s “footprint” formula, which ties a vehicle’s wheelbase length and track width to its required fuel-economy improvement, gives automakers an advantage to selling more full-size trucks than midsize trucks ahead of the federal 49-mpg 2026 Corporate Average Fuel Economy standard.

But the footprint rule is basically moot if automakers sell a sufficient number of battery electric-powered pickups.

The all-electric F-150 Lightning 4WD’s 76/61 city/highway mpg-e EPA rating moves the big truck to the plus-side as Ford Motor calculates its overall standing with CAFE 2026. Same is true for the extended-range version of the F-150 Lightning (at 78/63 mpg-e) as well as the Platinum 4WD variant (73/60 mpg-e).

The Lightning is 232.7 inches long on a 145.5-inch wheelbase, and 83.6 inches tall. The Rivian R1T is 217.1 inches long on a 135.8-inch wheelbase, and 78.2 inches tall, and yet its 74/66 mpg-e EPA estimates are topped in city driving by the much-larger Lightning. Range is similar: 230-320 miles for the Lightning, versus 314 miles for the R1T, while the Rivian’s maximum towing capability is 11,000 pounds, 1,000 pounds better than the Ford’s max.