New GM-based Electric Work Trucks Join Market Beset by Restrictions

­Heavy-duty work and commercial vehicles are the final frontier in our electrified future. And while electric jetliners may never come to fruition — not for a long while — we’re beginning to make progress at the literal ground level.

Case in point — Lightning eMotors began production of its GM-based Lightning ZEV4 work trucks.

The ZEV4 platform is versatile, able to serve as a box truck, stake bed truck, or cargo delivery vehicle, amongst other configurations. And it includes a 120 kWh battery (in the frame rails) that allows for a 130 mile range, with 241 hp.

“There has never been a better time for Class 4 work truck operators to upgrade their fleets to zero-emission vehicle technology”, said Lightning eMotors CRO Kash Sethi.

So why have electric heavy-duty vehicles caught on so slowly? It often boils down to the obvious — restrictions that come with the territory.

For example, electric semi trucks have extremely heavy batteries — Tesla Semi's battery is reportedly around 10,000 lbs — and in a business where every ounce counts, extraneous weight can be a deal-breaker.

And if you haven’t seen any of these electric heavy duty vehicles in the wild, that’s not surprising. According to one source, 2022 saw 66,000 electric buses and 60, 000 medium- and heavy-duty trucks sold worldwide (accounting for 4.5% of all bus sales and 1.2% of truck sales worldwide), though a huge percentage of this total was in China, which leads the globe in the production and sale of such vehicles.

In any case, as the Lightning eMotors CRO mentions, there really hasn’t been a better time for fleet operators to switch over, with numerous purchase subsidies and tax incentives available.