The Utility of Electricifed Utes

Electrified Utes are here, and they’re big news. When a dual cab Ute is the biggest selling vehicle in the country, they should be. But who is the market?

As a preamble, I’ve not had the opportunity to drive any of them, other than a short stint in urban conditions in a modified BYD Shark. I will say this, it was interesting – refined and comfortable, but different. Its owner is a long time 4X4 media personality and friend who has been leading the charge (no pun intended) in real world testing. But that’s for another article.

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Given said inexperience, my commentary here isn’t about the vehicles themselves, rather the market and positioning.

BYD's Shark 6 was the first electrified dual cab ute to the Australian market

The BYD Shark was the first to hit the market and has now been joined by GWM’s offerings in the form of the Cannon Alpha and most recently, Ford’s electrified ranger.

So, who could these vehicles work for?

The 4X4 tourer

There are various archetypes here; those who tour with a tent or canopy, and those who tow. Then there is the specific intent, because long range touring isn’t the same as a weekend trips. There’s also the type of terrain being traversed; a graded dirt road isn’t the same as rocky and muddy trails.

I’ll focus on two relevant requirements for this cohort: range and power. The former is important because there’s not many 7/11’s in the bush. The latter because they will almost always have a secondary, or “house battery” to power anything from a basic fridge setup, right through to a gin distillery and commercial kitchen depending on budget and tastes.

Range amongst these vehicles will be dependent on the powertrain setup. Long-range driving at highway speed, combined with modifications, increases energy usage and wipes out range. The aftermarket is yet to catchup with accessories like long range tanks, which have been valuable traditionally and will continue to be relevant for electrified variants.

Then there’s power, yes, the onboard batteries used to run these vehicles can provide “vehicle to load” (V2L) capability to power appliances. This means the expense of a dual battery system may be saved depending on what your specific needs are. Use case needs to be considered here, but theoretically you could run your campsite for quite some time depending on your setup.

But then there’s the cost of entry to be considered, a dual battery setup can be had for less than $1000, leaving a stack of folding stuff for more mods or accessories. Some will find it more economical to go the cheaper option in a traditional ICE setup and accessorise for purpose.

Anyone who knows anything about this scene will also know the importance of weight. The acronyms are plentiful, but it doesn’t take much to be over-weight across Payload and/or Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM). Tourers carry a lot of gear around and should be paying attention to these numbers.

An electrified variant of a utility may come in heavier to start with and have a resulting lower payload when compared to an ICE equivalent. This effects how much you can carry or mods you can bolt on.

Tradies

Tradies were probably the first use-case for such utility vehicles. It makes sense because they have internal space, are rugged in build and can carry or tow a load.

Payload and GVM are the most important requirement for this cohort. Many tradies I know will take the time to fit a vehicle out for their needs. This can include anything from canopies, internal fit outs and electrical systems. Its worth noting that there is crossover between a tradie and the off-roader described above at times, with bull bars, lift kits and other items added to add recreational capability.

All of this points to a need to carry weight, which brings us back to the potential deficiencies in capacities. Increased weight affects many things, but importantly it will affect energy use, regardless of the propulsion method.

The same benefits that come with V2L capability apply for tradies too. Cars aren’t the only things that are battery powered now, with a range of tools following the same path. This usually requires power for charging which can be facilitated in electrified vehicles.

This will be case dependant though, as many tradies will take their tools into a job for convenience and safety. I would assume you can charge and lock the vehicle up, either way it’s a consideration.

But, what else?

While the above two users argue and bicker online about whether it can work or not, I believe there will be buyers who have never considered a utility before. A new market who may find the the range of features, comfort levels and improved energy cost outcomes attractive.

A great example is a father from the school my youngsters go too who recently bought BYD Shark. He traded in a Touareg that was just coming into the vintage where they start costing money.

He won’t go offroad, other than the grass verge at the local soccer oval. Nor will he be carrying a load bigger than a few bags of potting mix from Bunnings. He will carry the kids bikes to the local park though. It sits high which aids visibility, is comfortable and feature packed inside and importantly, he feels it saves him money on fuel. It came in at a cost that way undercut a replacement of the German wagon at a little more than 60k.

Electrified utes will cater to a market, how big that market will be and what the demographic make-up is a question I suspect will take a little time to answer.

If nothing else, as a spokesman for Ford told me not so long ago; if the NVES credits that come with marketing electrified models mean we get to keep things like the Mustang a little longer – I’m happy for everyone to keep bickering and throwing these things up dirt hills.