Dually option available on new electric pickup

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A start-up in Mesa, Ariz. recently revealed a battery-powered pickup which in its dually configuration is expected to tow up to 35,000 lb. GCWR on a 6 percent grade at 65 mph.

Now, how long the truck will tow such a load is anyone’s guess. In the meantime, this is the first company—as far as we know—to announce a dually electric pickup which definitely caught our attention.

At first glance it appears the prototype Atlis XT is being designed for serious comfort, play and hard work. And with a starting price at $45,000 (that’s with no subsidies, i.e., the beefy $7,500 EV federal tax credit), the truck may win over plenty of fans during its expected roll-out in 2020.

Some of the features:

  • Battery pack sizes configurable to 300, 400 or 500-mile ranges
  • Charge time as low as 15 minutes with the Atlis Motor Vehicles Advanced Charging Station
  • Towing and payload options available per customer request
  • Independent traction motors at each wheel
  • Dually rear wheel option available
  • Tandem axle configurations available
  • Intelligent independent steering at each axle
  • Single-speed direct-drive gearbox
  • Independent air spring suspension with dynamic damping front and rear
  • Standard 12 inches of ground clearance with optional 15-inch upgrade
  • Integrated autonomous and driver assistance technology as an available option
  • Regenerative braking with independent wheel control
  • 5- or 8-foot bed (standard with dually)
  • Optional bed-mounted air compressor available (picture below)
  • Standard driving assistance cameras which includes side-view mirror driver assistance, backup camera with corner peak, trailer hookup assist camera, fifth wheel and gooseneck hookup assist camera and forward-facing camera for parking assist
  • Exportable 120 volt/20 amp and 240 volt/40 amp power available
  • Standard cloth or optional leather seats

Towing packages will be available in 5,000 lb. increments starting at 5,000 pounds capacity and capping off at 20,000. Same goes for gooseneck and fifth-wheel packages, which begin at 10,000 pounds capacity and end at 35,000. Payload capacities are available in 1,000, 2,000, 3,500 and 5,000 lb. packages.

And since EVs have opened up an entirely new competitive category—frunks—Atlis is claiming bragging rights to having the largest storage area under the hood where an engine would normally reside.

“The XT Pickup offers the largest usable front-trunk storage area ever. It’s capable of handling two large suitcases, your groceries, tool boxes, and beyond. With air springs and independent front suspension, the XT Pickup lowers for easy loading and unloading, while remaining level when in motion,” Atlis reports on its website.

The truck tops out at 120 mph and will hit zero to 60 in five seconds. Though that’s not as fast as Rivian’s R1T pickup which will reportedly hit zero to 60 in slightly under three seconds, it doesn’t concern Atlis all that much.

“Our Atlis XT is a full-size pickup truck platform, with specifications and capabilities similar (or better) to what you expect out of full-size work trucks today – bed sizes, towing capacity, 5th wheel and gooseneck towing capability, payload capacity, 6 passenger capacity, ability to swap the bed for service bodies, up to a 500-mile range, etc. Rivian is focused on a different market with different capabilities,” the company writes in its Q&A section.

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The Atlis XT can currently be reserved with no money down. The first 5,000 reservations will get free charging with their vehicle or 20 percent off the company’s monthly subscription rate.

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