The truck segment is prepping for electrification at an unimaginable pace, courtesy of specialist EV companies like Tesla and Rivian. Mainstream car brands are also throwing their hats in the ring (like they have any other option!), and the latest one to do so is Toyota. The automaker confirmed that the company is planning to electrify its truck lineup. This is the first time the Japanese automaker has spoken about pickup truck electrification. There’s no word on which truck gets the ion shot first, but whichever it is, expect it to come sooner than expected.

Just When You Thought Electric Truck Segment Wasn’t Crowded

The official statement from the company read, "In addition, Toyota intends to bring electrification to its pickup truck lineup in the near future, including hybrid and BEV powertrains. This diverse portfolio of electrified products will help propel Toyota toward its goal of carbon neutrality by 2050."

Why Could The Tundra Be The First To Get The Plug?

While Toyota didn’t mention which truck will get electrified first, we have our best placed on the Tundra. The Tundra is Toyota’s full-size pickup truck and the war right now belongs to this segment. Even Ford and Chevy’s first electric truck offerings will be the F-150 and the Silverado. The Rivian R1T is also a full-size pickup truck. So, it wouldn’t make sense to roll out the Tacoma as the first e-truck.

This seems far-fetched but Toyota is the world’s largest automaker and it won’t have a dearth of funds to develop both of them simultaneously. Also, the current Tundra doesn’t seem to belong with its rivals in terms of technology and features. An electric iteration could be the boost that the truck needs to become one of the hottest products in the segment.

Final Thoughts

Toyota had mentioned that it will have 70 electrified models worldwide by 2025. 15 of these will be dedicated battery-electric vehicles and seven of these 15 will come with the “bZ” moniker prefix that stands for Beyond Zero - BZ1, BZ2, BZ2X, BZ3, BZ4, BZ4X, and BZ5. The models with the ‘X’ will come with a dual-motor setup and an all-wheel-drive system. There seem to be no pickup trucks in the bZ series, which means, for now, the automaker will focus on electrifying the new existing range rather than come up with a new electric pickup truck from the ground up. There’s no word on when the electric truck would arrive, but we are still at least a couple of years away.

Which truck do you think will come out buzzing with energy first – the Tundra or the Tacoma? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.