Hercules Alpha: Wait, What, Another Electric Pickup?
Another week, another electric pickup is making headlines.
Admittedly far less futuristic and mind-blowing than the recently unveiled 2022 GMC Hummer EV, the Hercules Alpha is not a completely unique product like most of the contenders in this infant market segment. The young company founded in Detroit in December 2018 indeed plans to base its truck on the 2021 Nissan TITAN.
- Also: 2022 GMC Hummer EV Debuts With 1,000 Hp, 560 Km of Range
- Also: A More Normal Tesla Cybertruck is Not Being Ruled Out
With these two names straight out of Greek mythology, you’d expect an almighty workhorse. And it will be. Four electric motors combine to generate 1,000 horsepower, same as the Hummer EV. Acceleration from 0-97 km/h is achieved in four seconds, which is one full second slower, however.
Other key specs include a top speed of nearly 200 km/h, a payload of 2,500 pounds and maximum towing capacity of 12,500 pounds. Those are all estimates, mind you.
And since we’re talking about an electric pickup, there’s the all-important matter of range—in this case, 480 kilometres. The Hummer EV offers more than 560 kilometres, while the Tesla Cybertruck will be good for up to 800 kilometres.
Interestingly, Hercules mentions a zero turning radius. In other words, four-wheel steering technology allows the Alpha to turn on a dime in a move similar to the Rivian R1T’s so-called “Tank Turn” feature.
By teaming up with another manufacturer and using an existing chassis, Hercules aims to come to market faster. However, production and pricing details have not been announced yet. There’s no working prototype, either. The only images released so far are computer renderings.
Amazingly, CarBuzz reports that Hercules has already raised $27 million USD from customer reservations. That means that about 18,000 people have made the required $1,500 USD deposit.
In addition to the three competitors listed above, the Hercules Alpha will directly take on the Ford F-150 Electric, Bollinger B1, Nikola Badger, Lordstown Endurance, Neuron T.One and more.