SsangYong is Building the World’s First Electric Pickup Truck

Korean car maker SsangYong has outlined its product plans for the next five years during a recent media conference in its home country, and confirmed that it is building an electric-powered crossover, which could possibly be years ahead of electric vehicle (EV) champions Tesla, Chevrolet, Ford, and Volkswagen when it's released.

The potentially groundbreaking electric utility vehicle, codenamed H100, is currently under development, said SsangYong Executive Director of Export Markets Daniel Rim.

"I can't speak about technical features," said Rim. "We’re still developing this project. The original plan was to use the C-platform, but we're looking at different options. A new platform for EVs will underpin it. I think it will be AWD."

"It's changing but it depends on the different country's regulations," Rim added.

Asked whether the company is looking to be the first to build a production model battery-powered double cab pickup, Rim replied that he hopes so, unless Tesla beats them to the punch. "I’ve seen some concept from Tesla for a pickup truck," he said.

Although EVs have failed to make waves in many global automotive markets, Rim believes that the tides will change in the coming years as the world leaves internal combustion engines (ICEs) behind.

"EV currently is only one percent [of new-vehicle sales> globally. When it gets to be five percent, it's a different scenario. When it gets to 10 percent it’s a whole other ballgame," Rim surmised.

"The cost and the weight is going down, while the range is going up. Our target is 450 km, NEDC, for a C-segment SUV."