November 12, 2025 - Toyota Launches An Electric Pickup

This is the Telemetry Transportation Daily for  November 12, 2025, and I'm Sam Abuelsamid, Vice President of Market Research for Telemetry.  

We've now had six battery electric pickup trucks offered for sale in the North American market: the Ford F-150 Lighting, GMC Hummer, Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, Rivian R1T, and Tesla Cybertruck. However, despite some early excitement for several of them, sales have not lived up to expectations, and Stellantis cancelled plans for its own truck while Ford is considering cancelling the Lightning. The remaining player in the U.S. large truck market is Toyota. Back in late 2021, Toyota held an event in Japan where it showed off 15 EV concepts, including a midsize pickup truck. That concept previewed the design of the new Tacoma that arrived in 2023, but only with gas or hybrid propulsion options, no EV. 

This week, Toyota debuted its first fully electric pickup truck, but this one will never make it to the U.S. market. The Hilux is a lower-cost, slightly smaller pickup that Toyota sells globally except for North America. It's known for its simplicity, ruggedness, and reliability. The new Hilux is offered with several powertrain options, including a 48-volt mild-hybrid diesel and a full battery electric variant. 

While many U.S. Toyota fans have wanted a return of the Hilux ever since it was replaced by the larger Tacoma 30 years ago, they probably won't be missing this EV, as it wouldn't be very appealing in the U.S. market. It only has a 59.2-kilowatt-hour battery that is expected to yield a WLTP range of 149 miles, which would be closer to 125 in real-world driving. Toyota is apparently targeting fleet customers in Europe, so that range may not be much of a problem there, and the 193 horsepower should be adequate. It will apparently tow just over 3,500 pounds and have a payload of almost 1,600 pounds.  In terms of capability, the electric Hilux is not that different from the Slate, but unlike the upstart, the Hilux is a crew cab, which should make it more useful and appealing. Add in the Hilux's reputation for near indestructibility, and this truck might just find itself some customers in the rest of the world. 

Thanks for listening.