Fords E Truck for moving parts bin fleet duty has good reviews and demand and hits a price point where the white truck demand is highest. Extending the technology to box truck is the win, those trucks have abhortant operating costs.
With a 4-6 year lifespan and 12k / year depreciation + fuel is about the same as the gas or D models.
Most of the white trucks that never leave blacktop are 100 miles a day and returning to somewhere they can be charged, either the business owners home or the shop. Finally EVs hit a place where the utility of having 6500 Watts of outlets and ton of locking storage available is more upside than the 4 hour of charging downside.
I am not a fan of 200 mile EVs but the 400 mile EVs are to the point where they are worth consideration for fleet service within city limits. Let the average consumer middle class fred not be the one risking their once a decade purchase on unproven batteries.
Interesting insight. Your comment also reminds me of “white vehicle training” we used to get at Dowell before they became Schlumberger who continued it and branched out to others.
The fleet box truck is generally occupied being a mobile storage box as is the pickup with tool boxes.
Why is the white box so expensive to operate?
If a reliable 400 mile range without nursing it and at a price similar to IC vehicles the EV becomes attractive to me and I spent decades drilling for oil and gas. Retired, almost all of our trips are less than 200 miles round trip plus some loiter time in town running errands on such a trip to the city. Our longest regular trip is about 300 miles and I am disinclined to drive more than about 350 miles a day IF we ever do travel very far so the 400 mile EV is beginning to fit us.
Reliable includes some arrangement to replace the battery for some credit in not less than 10 years. If reliability, life and range do not improve someone will figure out a commercial arrangement to reduce those problems. Even current manufacturers face the problem of longevity of their product cutting into replacement sales. We drive a 16 year-old car and an 18 year-old truck both in good condition both garaged and serviced regularly. Since retirement we drive a combined distance of less than 10,000 miles per year. My truck tires will time out before they wear out. I expect that EVs power trains will last a good long time.
The relative simplicity of the EV power train is the most compelling feature and the battery the least. The new Magna eBeam axle incorporating motor and axle if at the right price point and IF a conformable battery pack were available would be attractive for EV conversion of an IC vehicle. I have a pickup to restore and it would be a perfect application. There is NO transmission required and the torque curve is just about flat as it can be. Ford’s EV crate engine is a competitive buy if not for the battery pack.
One of the many problems with the battery pack is lugging around 1,000 lbs of batteries all the time and up to 3X the tire wear. Tires produce 1,800x the particulates for their normal wear duration as the engine that drives them along.
My big barn cries for about 10 kw of solar panels and the EV would solve the excess current storage problem. It is becoming enticing to me.
My 25 year old F-150 is still trucking. Taking it to the shore sunday.