Thoughts on Trucks

If you wanted a small pickup truck 20 or 25 years ago, you had several choices: the Ford Ranger, the Chevy S10, and several from Japanese car companies whose particular models I don't remember. There may have been others. 

Now there are none in the U.S. There are humongous trucks, gigantic trucks, and "small" trucks that are the size of the large trucks of 25 years ago. A few of those are EVs... score!

My favorite example of this the recent models of the Ford Ranger, compared to the compact Ford Rangers that were made here in Saint Paul, or even the somewhat compact Ford Mavericks (which are available as EVs). I've been watching for a chance to get a photo of a Maverick next to an old-model Ranger, but have not had that opportunity. 

Today while stopped at a red light in my car I was following a Maverick and realized the top of its back bed was taller than the top of my car.

So I thought it was time to write about this, despite not having a side-by-side photo from the street.

Here's a photo of the 2024 Maverick (left) and Ranger (right):

Here's a 2000 Ranger, found from a used car site:

It's hard to get a sense of how that white, 2000 truck compares to the size of those two 2024 trucks, though. So here are some of the relevant specs:

2024 models
Only available as Supercrew (four seats, with a shorter bed)

Maverick
69" high (roof)
Front end is higher than the 2000 Ranger (that dimension is not listed in the past or present)
Base weight 3,600 pounds (this is the internal combustion model)

Ranger
74" (roof)
Front end is even higher than Maverick or the 2000 Ranger (that dimension is not listed in the past or present)
Base weight 4,200 pounds

2000 Ranger - standard cab (front seat only)
65" high (roof)
Front end is lowest (that dimension is not listed in the past or present)
Base weight 3,100 pounds

Heavier vehicles are more dangerous to everyone outside the vehicle, and the increase in danger is not an arithmetic progression. Taller vehicles, especially in the front end (which is also designed as a blunt object in new trucks), are more dangerous to everyone outside the vehicle. 

The car industry says larger trucks are what people want, and I'm sure that's true for some people, but a range of options seems like a fair ask, and it used to exist across the industry. The higher profit margin on larger trucks has accompanied the creeping corporate greed of recent decades.

Personally, if I ever ditch my now-hated EV and get another one*, it will be for a small EV truck. At this moment I like the Telo Mini Truck 1, which is not available in the U.S. at this point, though they have a link for reservations.

It's 66" tall and the driver doesn't have a huge front-end blocking their view. Their general copy says it has "Toyota Tacoma capability, Tesla-like range and efficiency, in the footprint of a MINI Cooper." It's length is less than a Prius.

I couldn't find a base weight for the Telo. It's possible they don't have one yet, since it's not in production. It's likely to be heavier than it looks, and probably heavier than even the larger 2024 Ranger, given that it's battery-powered.

What about that lack of a protruding front-end? Isn't that a safety risk to the Telo's occupants? According to Motortrend, the design has 18" of mechanical crumple zone. Plus lots of collision-preventing sensors. And I would say... maybe if a driver feels a bit more exposed (even if they are just as safe in reality) maybe they will drive a bit more cautiously and be less likely to have a crash.

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*The other possibilities in that "if" are a choice between not getting rid of the embodied carbon of an existing vehicle (therefore keeping what I have) and getting rid of it without replacing it with a personal EV at all. 

I do long for access to a small pickup truck. But there we have car (and truck) sharing here. We'll see.