Well, it’s finally here! One of the most exciting new developments in the electric-vehicle industry has become a reality, as Phoenix Motorcars of Ontario, Calif. recently began selling a fully-electric pickup truck. The model SUT will travel up to 100 miles on a single charge and comes in five different variations and price points, from the standard model to the super-premium “Darkside” model, which includes everything available, probably including the kitchen sink as well. If this weren’t enough to whet your appetite, the truck comes in your choice of six colors.

The Phoenix SUT sells for between $35,000 and $45,000, depending on the variation you select. Several states have incentive programs that will refund part of the cost of these trucks – California’s is the highest, giving you $10,000 back. You also may be eligible for a $7,500 tax credit when purchasing one of these.

Clearly these trucks are the wave of the future. It’s enough to make anyone excited about the potential of this industry – fully-electric vehicles have never been adequate for rough-riding commercial jobs, so if the Phoenix SUT can hold its own with other pickups, it may change the face of the game for the entire electric-vehicle industry.

In 1990, some efforts at the creation of an electric pickup truck started happening on multiple fronts because of a number of pieces of legislation passed by the US Government.  Even some supporting state agencies such as the California Air Resources Board started to hop onto the electricity bandwagon and for that reason many of the electric pickup trucks of today actually owe their creation to this period in time.  Progress was slow in light of the very cheap gasoline that was still available at that time however, so not that many models came off the shelves.

Fast forward to the present day and what you see is that the high price of oil more than anything else is driving innovation in electric pickup trucks.  This is true for just about every other area of transportation as well, which is why one can be hopeful that some great models are on their way.

Interestingly enough, a large aspect of the innovation in the area of electric pickup trucks has come from the big three automakers. Ford especially has done a lot to spearhead the development of solid electric pickup trucks, although what their recent financial problems will do to their current research is anyone’s guess.  One would hope that they would continue development of electric versions of popular products like the Ford Ranger (one of the first electric pickup trucks deemed roadworthy) so that more people can experience what it is like to drive one of these vehicles.

At the same time, the General Motors Chevrolet division has done a lot to forward similar research as well.  The S-10 is an electric pickup truck that was pioneered by Chevrolet back in the 90s and continues to hold some impressive electric technology even by today’s standards.  Further development of this truck could lead to another roadworthy electric pickup truck, although once again that is assuming that GM gets through their bankruptcy restructuring without losing interest in the development of electric automobiles.

Whether that will actually happen is anyone’s guess.