Rendering of the Workhorse W-15 pickup, which is expected to be in production by 2018.Workhorse Group announced today that it has started developing an electric pickup with range extender for fleets.
Expected to be in production by 2018, the new Workhorse W-15 light duty platform design is an extension of the E-Gen electric technology used in Workhorse medium-duty delivery trucks.
An anticipated 80-mile range from Panasonic 18650 Li-ion batteries is expected to cover most of the daily driving covered by fleets using locally driven trucks. If needed, the gasoline generator will power the pickup after the batteries have been depleted.
As many fleet operators are committed to the “greening” of their fleet, the Workhorse W-15 electric truck will be designed to dramatically lower emissions. Lower fueling and maintenance costs are expected to deliver lower total cost of ownership (TCO) for fleet managers. Workhorse has already received non-binding letters of interest from Duke Energy as well as the City of Orlando municipal fleet.
Workhorse reports that Duke Energy and other electric utilities across the U.S. have been asking OEMs to build plug-in electric vehicles that could replace high volume fleet vehicles.
The electric powered W-15 represents an opportunity to bring tremendous fuel savings and emissions reduction without sacrificing functionality, according to Workhorse. Additionally, the W-15 ‘s goal is to be the safest pickup on the market with its large frontal crumble zone and low center of gravity.
“We believe this will be the first plug-in range-extended electric pickup truck built from the ground up by an OEM in America. It’s not a conversion vehicle,” said Steve Burns, Workhorse CEO. “We feel the extended range capability from the combination of Panasonic batteries and an on-board generator, will deliver the performance that fleet managers expect from a work truck.”
Fleet managers who would like additional information are directed to contact Jeff Esfeld at [email protected] or 206-228-5400.
