GM Exploring Small Ultium-Based Electric Pickup

by Chris Teague

Published: January 20th, 2023

gm exploring small ultium based electric pickup

Despite what automakers and your fragile ego tell you, owning the largest full-size pickup you can find does not make you cooler or more interesting. However, it does make you more likely to be frustrated while parking and waiting in line at your third fuel stop of the week. Ford and Hyundai offer small-truck solutions with the Maverick and Santa Cruz, respectively, and now it’s General Motors’ turn.

GM revealed a small electric concept truck in a closed-door media session earlier this week. The automaker is heavily invested in EVs that people can actually afford and held the event at its “affordable EV design studio” in Warren, MI. Devoid of branding and logos, the truck will reportedly come with a mighty reasonable sub-$30,000 price tag.

The company plans to lean into customer feedback to refine the truck’s design. Chevy affordable EV and crossover design boss Michael Pevovar told Automotive News that the company is trying different things to see what works for customers and what doesn’t. For example, GM started with a bed length of 4- to 4.5 feet but is open to changing it. “The input may come back that it’s just too small, and that’s ok,” Pevovar told Auto News.

Thanks to the insanely flexible Ultium EV platform, General Motors can play around with the sizes and shapes of new models without starting from scratch each time. That saves time, but most of all, it saves money, allowing GM to hit the mythical $30,000 EV mark – at least on paper. The architecture underpins EVs of all sizes and shapes in GM’s catalog, including the GMC Hummer EV, Cadillac Lyriq, and the upcoming Chevrolet Equinox EV.

[Image: GM]

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#GeneralMotors #ElectricTrucks #Ultium

Chris Teague

Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.

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2 of 27 comments

Beachy on Jan 21, 2023

Please offer a good 4wd system!

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Mallard Dux on Jan 23, 2023

Note to automakers: Can you just figure out a way to make a simple pickup truck, defined as a cab on frame with a bed longer than the cab, capable of moving objects larger or LONGER than items normally able to be carried in cars? Is that really too complex to pull off?
Look up the word truck and go from there... please. Simple and durable. Tough and work ready.

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Recent Comments

JMII My wife's next car will be an EV. As long as it costs under $42k that is totally within our budget. The average cost of a new ICE car is... (checks interwebs) = $47k. So EVs are already in the "affordable" range for today's new car buyers.We already have two other ICE vehicles one of which has a 6.2l V8 with a manual. This way we can have our cake and eat it too. If your a one vehicle household I can see why an EV, no matter the cost, may not work in that situation. But if you have two vehicles one can easily be an EV.My brother has an EV (Tesla Model Y) along with two ICE Porsche's (one is a dedicated track car) and his high school age daughters share an EV (Bolt). I fully assume his daughters will never drive an ICE vehicle. Just like they have never watched anything but HiDef TV, never used a land-line, nor been without an iPad. To them the concept of an ICE power vehicle is complete ridiculous - you mean you have to STOP driving to put some gas in and then PAY for it!!! Why? the car should already charged and the cost is covered by just paying the monthly electric bill.So the way I see it the EV problem will solve itself, once all the boomers die off. Myself as part of Gen X / MTV Generation will have drive a mix of EV and ICE.
28-Cars-Later [Model year is 2010] "and mileage is 144,000"Why not ask $25,000? Oh too cheap, how about $50,000?Wait... the circus is missing one clown, please report to wardrobe. 2010 AUDI A3 AWD 4D HATCHBACK PREMIUM PLUS
28-Cars-Later So Honda are you serious again or will the lame continue?
Fred I had a 2009 S-line mine was chipped but otherwise stock. I still say it was the best "new" car I ever had. I wanted to get the new A3, but it was too expensive, didn't come with a hatch and no manual.
3-On-The-Tree If Your buying a truck like that your not worried about MPG.