Image: Facebook
EV Utes are all the rage at the moment and the past month has seen a few major announcements highlighting new EV ute models heading to Australia. Now there have been sightings of an EV by one of the world’s most popular electric ute companies as well as one from General Motors in Sydney.
That’s the Rivian R1S SUV and the Hummer EV ute which were spotted at Sydney airport by members of the EV community. So what was seen in the separate spottings and could this be the start of EV utes from the US finally hitting our shores?
Rivian, which has produced just shy of 15,000 EVs this year, had its most popular R1S model spotted at Sydney airport. It was seen sitting on a pallet and had just come off the plane. It also had a wavey camouflage paint on it but was quite easy to spot with the badging in the rear.
This EV’s started its journey in the state of Illinois in the United States where Rivian’s only operational production plant is located.
It’s still unclear as to why the Rivian R1S has arrived here in Australia. Some speculation has been made around the potential of it being used for winter testing in New Zealand. That’s less of a possibility at this time of the year as we are moving towards summer.
In its home market, the Rivian R1S starts at $US73,000 which converts to $A112,000 today, before freight and any local on-road costs.
If this R1S is for local testing for a potential launch in the next 24 months then the price is likely to be over $A140,000, with shipping and on-road costs.
A user on Facebook by the name of “EV Spy” spotted a Hummer EV at Sydney Airport. The 4.3 Tonne ute Hummer EV ute was sitting on a platform in plastic wrap with a net over it to keep it secure.
In the US, it comes with 200 kWh battery pack and starts at $US79,995. This is more than $A123,000, before shipping and on-road costs
Like the Rivian, it is not known what the GMC Hummer EV ute is in Australia for, but one possibility could be for assessment of local right-hand drive conversion by Walkinshaw Performance.
They have been converting RAM utes in Melbourne for the Australian market. Previously Walkinshaw Performance was heavily involved with GM and Holden HSV performance modifications at their Clayton facility.
Many arguments against EVs have been that there are currently no options for Australians that want EV utes and larger off-roading vehicles. With the arrival of the Rivian R1S SUV and the GMC Hummer EV ute, it’s a step towards many more brands bringing more options to our shores.
This comes just a week after LDV announced the arrival of the LDV eT60 ute and Volvo’s parent company delivered hundreds of ground-up EV utes that cost under $40,000 in their local market.
The larger electric ute and off-roading SUV space are about to heat up in Australia, which can only be a good thing for those looking at upgrading their utes and larger SUVs to cleaner ones in the next 12 months.
Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.
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