The electric truck segment is rapidly picking up steam. The Ford F-150 Lightning is already in driveways, the Silverado EV will begin doing so later this year, the Ram 1500 REV is becoming closer to a production reality, and GM and Nissan have shared interest in offering compact all-electric pickups for the U.S. Not content to sit on the sidelines, Volkswagen could be the latest automaker to join the electric pickup fray. While VW has already put in place plans to debut its Scout brand with an all-electric pickup, the German automaker says its potential pickup will be a separate endeavor, and as more options are made available, it’s good news for those seeking pickup capabilities with zero emissions.

RELATED: 10 Reasons To Buy An Electric Pickup Truck

Volkswagen Considers Electric Pickup Truck For The U.S.

Front teaser Scout EV Concept
Scout Motors

MotorTrend reported that Volkswagen’s Hein Schafer, the automaker’s senior vice president of product marketing and strategy, said the next focus for the brand will be an all-electric pickup for the U.S. The publication reported that Schafer said the automaker is still in the consideration phase, so all the details haven’t been worked out yet. That includes whether VW will dip its toes into the ultra-competitive full-sized pickup market against the Big Three stalwarts and the Toyota Tundra and Nissan Titan, or whether it could be a midsized truck comparable to the Ford Ranger, Chevy Colorado, or Rivian R1T.

“At the end of the day, we are looking at a pickup,” Schafer told MotorTrend. “We wanted to get our SUV portfolio right. But for sure, definitely the next focus for us will be a pickup.”

The publication also reported that a VW senior product planner said the automaker is apprehensive about taking Honda’s approach with the Ridgeline, namely transforming the Pilot SUV into a pickup, which hasn’t proved to be a significant sales success or disrupted the segment. But it implies that one of VW’s SUVs, such as the Atlas, could potentially get the pickup treatment if the automaker decides to take a similar approach. With the idea still being floated, VW hasn’t fully confirmed the truck will be an EV, but Schafer said the automaker is “likely to say…it will not be a gas-powered pickup.”

RELATED: The Bad News Nobody Is Telling You About Electric Pickup Trucks And SUVs

The EV Truck Market Could Expand Rapidly In The Near Future

A 2023 Ram 1500 REV on a charging station
RAM Trucks

Volkswagen considering an electric pickup isn’t much of a surprise given any automaker with a foot in the U.S. market wants to capitalize on the segment as it expands. In addition to the EV pickups already on the market or those hitting it soon, more all-electric pickups could be introduced in the coming years. Recently, GM shared its interest in offering a compact electric pickup that could be somewhat of a revival of the S10. Meanwhile, Nissan is also mulling its options to introduce a small electric pickup to the market as its full-size offering, the Titan, could soon be axed from its lineup.

While the compact truck segment has just two players currently — the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz — the possible compact trucks from Nissan and GM would be the first all-electric small pickups. Meanwhile, the Rivian R1T is the only option for a midsized, all-electric pickup. So if VW decides to go that route, it could make its pickup an important player in the segment.