Who says you need Ford to do it? Aging Wheels tried a prototype of a small electric pickup a year ago from a team making one without the support of a huge car company. I have no dog in this fight, other than wanting more of transport to go electric but if Americans refuse to buy vans which probably make more sense for transporting goods this might be a good option.

Video: https://youtu.be/1OgN_qctcGs

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Cthulhu_ 5 days ago | parent | next [-]

You don't need Ford per se, but you do need an experienced manufacturer to take a concept car to mass production, and you need mass production to make something affordable.

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mft_ 5 days ago | parent [-]

I'm watching Slate [0] with interest; they aren't following a path according to your assumptions.

[0] https://www.slate.auto/en

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Cthulhu_ 5 days ago | parent | next [-]

Would be interesting to follow, but as of now they look to be in a startup phase still. Car companies take years to establish themselves. This one seems close though, they say they will do their first deliveries later this year.

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yellowapple 4 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

It's almost exactly what I want out of a truck… except I'm no longer seeing non-RWD options (could've sworn there used to be a 4WD option; did I hallucinate that or are they just not showing it anymore?).

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tomrod 5 days ago | parent | prev [-]

They have financial capital via Bezos, I thought?

Not denigrating them whatsoever, I would like to have one.

	▲	mft_ 5 days ago \| parent [-]
		Yes; but they don't (AFAIK) have a track record or pre-existing facilities for car design or manufacturing, per the comment I was replying to.

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toast0 4 days ago | parent | prev [-]

> Americans refuse to buy vans

I don't know that that's true. Van popularity comes and goes. So does van manufacturing. When van sales are high, we get more makes, when sales slump, some of the exit. People who buy vans don't like to buy new ones unless the old one is totalled or falls apart...

I don't think you can buy a Ford or Chevy minivan right now, but Honda, Toyota and Chrysler usually have one. VW has one now, too. I just missed the window to a get Ford Transit Connect when my 2017 Pacific died, so I ended up with an 81 VW Vanagon... But I also have a pickup with a 6 foot bed. Sometimes you want your load enclosed; sometimes outside is better.