3 EVs for Overlanding Out Now
Getting your hands on an EV for overlanding is harder than ever – here are our top picks for getting behind the wheel ASAP.
The process for buying an EV is definitely different than buying a regular truck or car, especially an EV for overlanding. With demand the way it is this year, car buying is more complicated than ever, with sellers charging thousands above MSRP – if you’re lucky.
Gone are the days of marching into the dealership and demanding a discount or a rebate. These days, getting your hands on an EV requires putting your name on a request list, paying full sticker price (or more), then waiting patiently for your vehicle to be built and delivered. These manufacturers quite literally can’t make the trucks as quickly as people are buying them.
A whole bunch of large manufacturers are planning on releasing their EVs in the next couple of years. There’s great stuff out now that we’ll talk about below, but stay tuned for updates on releases from Chevy and RAM in addition to these.
If you’re prepared to buy an EV now, you’ll sadly have to wait a while. There’s pros and cons to this, though. There are a couple of great EV options you can get on the list for now. We’ve all heard of the Rivian R1T and R1S, the Ford F150 Lighting and the GMC Hummer EV’s
Out now:
Rivian
Rivian calls itself the “world’s first all-electric adventure vehicle.” While we think this is pretty cool, and that Rivians are great trucks, we can also see some pros and cons to this top-of-the-line overlander. What’s great about it is that it’s built with overlanders in mind, so it has a lot of the features included that we’d love to have on the trail. On the other hand, the waitlist is long, and many of the available additions we’d like to have make this already-pricey rig just a bit too far out of budget.
One thing we love about the Rivian its its four-motor capability. This is actually pretty rare for EVs. Rivian designed their vehicles for overlanding and off-roading, though, so they must thought to include it fur us. Having four motors means real-time torque action on each individual wheel, making it easy to get out of some sticky situations out on the trail.
Speaking of sticky situations, the Rivian also has a great feature for water crossings: it’s totally waterproof up to three feet. Impressive, right? Short of the cabin filling with water, the Rivian keeps you and all your gear dry and functioning when dealing with water. That’s one reason EVs are so great for overlanding: there’s no need for snorkels unless you’re tacking some truly deep waters.
If you’ve got the funds, the Rivian is a great option, with 260-400 miles of range depending on the battery package you choose. The compnay’s website features a great vehicle visualizer/ builder so that you can customize your Rivian to your needs before committing to a purchase.
Starting at $67,500
Ford F-150 Lightning
Ford is such a tried and true name in the truck world that we’re immediately intrigued by their new electric offerings. While you don’t see many F-150s out overlanding, it’s probably because they tend to get such bad gas mileage… maybe the new lightning model will make Ford trucks overlanders at last.
The price point of the F-150 lightning is the first thing that caught our eye. Its starting MSRP is far lower than any of the other EV options we’ve seen on the market lately. While it does have fewer standard features, the ones it does have available have the potential to make the F150 lighting EV a great overlanding vehicle. And, it won’t be so painful to add them on because the MSRP is so much lower than other EVs.
The F-150 Lightning has about 320 miles of range, and included Ford Intelligent Backup Power that can (apparently) work as a generator that can power your house for up to three days. We’d be interested to check this out. For now, it only works if you’ve got the Ford charging system installed in your home. On the other hand, it’s always possible that Ford could figure out a way to get power from the truck without it. What can we say? We’re dreamers. An all-electric self-sustaining bugout rig sounds pretty cool to us.
The F-150 Lightning features two motors, one front and one rear. In typical Ford fashion, it features up to 10,000 pounds of tow capacity accompanied by intelligent hookup technology and top-quality cameras. With that amount of power, we think an all-electric or even solar-powered trailer might be a great camping solution to pair with this EV while overlanding.
Starting at $39,947
Hummer EV
We think it’s the GM Adaptive Air Ride suspension make the new Hummer a great EV for overlanding. It raises the truck 6″ to get over tough obstacles and provide an extra few inches of ground clearance.
The truck and SUV both come with standard independent front and rear suspensions. Additionally, full underbody armor removes the need for aftermarket skid plates. Three independent motors power the Hummer EV. It’s got up to 350 miles of range and a whopping 11,500 lb-ft of torque available, depending on your model. Talk about getting through tough spots – we bet this EV is a great option for overlanders on unpredictable terrain. On top of all that, 800V DC charging can get this truck up to 100 miles of range in 10 minutes. That’s pretty impressive.
On the con side, this truck is the most expensive of the 3 options here for EV overlanding by a long shot. However, it does come loaded with “creature comforts” we know we’d appreciate while adventuring. It also has a ton of available features you can add on, like crabwalk. GM wanted to make sure your Hummer EV fulfills your EV overlanding needs. One of our favorite features is the infinity roof. With its removable panels, it provides the most fantastic views of any of these EVs.
Starting at $104,650
