Electric Vehicles and the Future of Overlanding
Starting off 2022, electric vehicles are becoming more and more popular with many major vehicle manufacturers now releasing information on their upcoming EVs. When it comes to Overlanding a big part of the trip is planning where you will be refueling and making sure you have enough fuel to reach all of your destinations. There have been a lot of debates on if electric vehicles will completely replace gas vehicles and to be honest, it does look like that is a very reasonable prediction. Let’s talk about the upcoming electric vehicles that look promising for Overlanding and the benefits and disadvantages they bring to the table.
Upcoming EVs That Look Promising for Overlanding
Toyota Compact Cruiser EV
Toyota
Predicted to come out in 2024, the Toyota Compact Cruiser looks like Toyota’s EV version of their discontinued FJ Cruiser. Since the release of the concept, there isn’t too much information on the specifications for it, but here’s what we know so far.
Estimated Price: $35,000
Modeled after the FJ Cruiser but more compact
We will update the article once more information becomes available, but Toyota is known for their offroad capable vehicles and they still want to play a big part in the scene, so we have high expectations.
Toyota Pickup EV
Toyota
Another concept vehicle released from Toyota is the Pickup EV. Like other concepts, there isn’t much we know about it, but we do know a little.
Modeled after the Toyota Tacoma and Tundra and estimated to be in between the two for the size
Estimated to be released before 2025
Rivian R1S
Rivian
Rivian is creating a big name in the electric vehicle space. If SUVs are your thing, the Rivian R1S is a great electric vehicle that was built to explore.
3-row seating fitting up to 7 passengers
Estimated 250+ miles of range (depending on your specifications)
14.9 inches of ground clearance
7,700lbs towing capacity
3 second 0-60mph
Quad-motor powertrain
Ford F-150 Lightning
Ford
The 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning seems to have disappointed some people since the Lightning was an iconic muscle truck. The new Ford Lightning is a fully electric vehicle that is ready to be used as a work truck as well as an Overland rig.
Ford intelligent backup power can be used as a generator (9.6kW Peak Energy can power a house for 3 days)
230 - 300 mile range (depending on trim level)
Two motor powertrain and 4x4
0-60 mph in around 4 seconds
Front trunk style storage and full-size truck bed
Rivian R1T
Rivian
Once again, we have a Rivian and that’s because these vehicles are awesome. Rivian has thought about Overlanding with the R1T with optional camping upgrades and awesome offroad abilities.
Starting at $67,500
Estimated 314-mile range
Comfort and Off-road drive modes
0-60mph in around 3 seconds
11,000lb Towing Capacity
Seats 5
Onboard power
Gear tunnel and optional camp kitchen upgrade
14.9 inches of ground clearance
GMC Hummer EV SUV
General Motor Company
The GMC Hummer EV has generated a lot of stir in the offroad and Overlanding community with their innovative new features that help you get everywhere you want to go.
Available in a pickup and SUV model but the SUV model seems to have the most features
Crab Walk (SUV) can turn front and rear wheels
Extract Mode (SUV) helps you get unstuck by raising the vehicle 6 inches
35-inch Goodyear® Wrangler Territory tires
Benefits of Electric Vehicles for Overlanding
While an electric vehicle in remote destinations with no access to charging ports may seem like a recipe for disaster, there can actually be a lot of benefits over gas vehicles.
Cost of Gas and Gas Station Stops
One of the biggest benefits of going electric is not having to pay for gas. Although it doesn’t completely eliminate having to stop, you can easily stop at a ton of different charging locations or charge at your house before leaving.
Less Maintenance
With electric motors, you don’t have to deal with the minor maintenance that you would on gas-powered vehicles like oil changes. This can make it easier to just head out on your next adventure.
More Power Off the Lot
Although there are a lot of aftermarket modifications that can help boost the power on your rig, electric vehicles already have a lot of torque and power off the lot. That’s a major benefit of electric motors.
Offroad Traction
Since electric vehicles utilize more electric motors, it leads to a bigger advantage over the standard 4x4 system most of our vehicles have. It will allow the vehicle to send different amounts of torque to different wheels a lot faster and more efficiently.
The Disadvantages
As stated above, there are some advantages, there are some downsides that come with buying an electric vehicle with going on Overlanding trips in mind.
Less Aftermarket Support
Since electric cars are just beginning to come out, there isn’t a whole lot of aftermarket support for them. Things you usually see like roof racks, bed racks, suspension systems, and other modifications haven’t been developed a lot yet.
Weather Problems
One issue with battery-powered vehicles is that weather can affect their performance. Things like cold weather can drain the vehicle’s battery life a lot faster which would be bad if you were in a remote place with nowhere to charge.
Vehicle Costs
Right now, since EVs are so new, they are usually coming out with a higher price tag than their gas counterparts. This can cut into your build budget and not leave you with enough room to buy new gear that you may need.
Repairs
I mentioned that there is less maintenance to worry about with EVs, while that may be the case, repairs can be costly. While most people know how to do basic repairs in order to get themself home safely, with electric vehicles they are a lot more complicated and you may not be able to fix them.
New Problems Lead to New Solutions
While you can usually find solutions to a lot of issues with gas-powered vehicles when it comes to offroad modifications, electric vehicles are still new, and not many people have experimented with everything they can do. Here are some of the solutions we can see popping up the more popular electric vehicles become in the Overlanding scene.
Charging and Power
In the future, I feel we will develop more solutions for some of the problems we see for overlanding an electric vehicle. One of those would be charging. With a gas-powered vehicle, we can always stock up on fuel, but with an electric car, we may have to do things differently. We can utilize things like solar panels to make sure it stays charged no matter how long of a trip you decide to go on.
More Powered Accessories
Since you basically have a huge battery with you at all times, I feel like we will see a lot more powered accessories hit the markets.
Storage Capabilities
With the lack of an engine under the hood, it leaves more space for storage. A lot of electric vehicles utilize this space as a “frunk” (front trunk). This provides a secure and weatherproof storage compartment for all of your gear.