BMW M says EV pick-up has promise

BMW says it has no plans to enter the EV pick-up market, but its high-performance M division admits the idea of a big, high-performance electric ute has plenty of appeal.

Harsh lessons have been learned from the failed Mercedes-Benz X-Class, but early indications suggest that full-size EV pick-up trucks like the Tesla Cybertruck, Rivian R1T and Nikola Badger will be profitable.

Tesla's Cybertruck officially has more than 250,000 paid pre-orders (unofficially it's been claimed at over 500,000) and the Rivian R1T and Nikola Badger EV have generated considerable interest – not only in the US, the world's biggest pick-up market, but elsewhere in the world including Australia.

Daniel Schmidt, the head of product management at BMW M reiterated previous comments from the brand that it will deliver a fully electric M car this decade.

"First we decide what's the right concept for us, and so far we are not at all in pick-up trucks, for example," the auto executive told carsales.

"But if you would think from the other way around, like where can I put as much battery cells in with a certain freedom of height, then a pick-up truck would be a good concept for electromobility, for sure."

BMW toyed with the idea of an X7 ute, revealing a one-off concept in mid-2019.

BMW builds its biggest and most profitable SUVs – such as the X5, X6 and X7 – at its Spartanburg facility in the US. If it was retooled to build pick-ups trucks, the same factory would avoid hefty US import taxes.

Schmidt said the EV pick-up concept has genuine potential, but implied that BMW M prefers a challenge, observing that simpler development pathways are not among the primary criteria to achieving the green light.

"Because you have the wheelbase, the length of the car, freedom below the body, you can cool it easily, but we will not decide for a body type just because it’s easier.

"Most cars on the market are going up to approximately 100kWh [battery packs]. A pick-up can definitely put in more. If the concept is made for electromobility it's always a question of where's the space?"

"The bigger the car the better you can fit batteries in. The more batteries the less important weight would be, the easier it is to achieve the range goals you might have," he explained.

BMW has been criticised for its slow shift into the EV world, the argument being that it squandered its development lead that started with BMW i3 back in 2013. The brand-new MINI Electric uses the same seven-year-old tech, for example.

Asked what he thought of upcoming EV pick-ups from the likes of Tesla, Rivian and Nikola, not to mention the forthcoming Ford F-150 and Chevrolet Silverado electric utes, Schmidt was noncommittal – but left the door open, if ever so slightly, for similar concepts from BMW in the future.

"Talking about competitors is not our place to judge. There's interesting concepts on the market, we are seeing that, but we will always find our own way.

"We will always try and find the best solution for a high-performance car at BMW M. If we feel we have the best technical solution we will go for it. But it has to fulfil our requirements."