# Holy crap!  It actually looks like a truck!



## EatenByLimestone (May 4, 2021)

Alpha Wolf









						In A World Of Ever-Larger Trucks, Alpha's Wolf Stands Out From The Pack
					

In a world where trucks are getting bigger and bigger, these small and efficient electric trucks from Alpha stand out from the pack.




					cleantechnica.com
				




Something like this could find a spot with my company provided it could be recharged without issue by my techs living in apartments.


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## clancey (May 4, 2021)

That's a nice looking truck...


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## Dataman (May 4, 2021)

*WOLF+™ TRUCK*
Starting MSRP US$40,000 to US$48,000*
250 - 275+MI Range | Dual Motor 4WD, Single Motor RWD | 5.9S 0-60 MPH Acceleration | 3050kg (6724lbs) Towing Capacity**








						Alpha Motor Corporation — ALPHA WOLF PLUS Electric Pickup Truck - Electric Vehicles EVs Made by Alpha Motors
					

Learn about Alpha Wolf Plus Electric Pickup Truck. Alpha Motor Corporation is an award-winning American automobile company focused in manufacturing electric vehicles in Utility, Sport, and Adventure categories. Based in Irvine, California, Alpha is led by an experienced team of automotive industry p




					www.alphamotorinc.com


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## semipro (May 4, 2021)

EatenByLimestone said:


> provided it could be recharged without issue by my techs living in apartments.


That's the challenge though isn't it - getting charging in scenarios like that.


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## SpaceBus (May 4, 2021)

Wow, that really ticks all of my boxes for a future daily driver. I love the flat floor and front trunk.


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## mar13 (May 5, 2021)

Looks relativelyaffordable and practical, but I'm not holding my breath...

I wonder if small companies like this are hoping to be bought out by a bigger company and/or are a result of so much venture capital money searching for a place to be invested.

I'd sign my name up on their wait list if I weren't so cynical tonight. I do, though, wish them success , as I like their designs.









						Will Alpha Motors sell the retro-cute EV style other automakers have shunned in the US?
					

Alpha Motors is among many recent startup EV efforts with some very attractive designs—but of course, that's only the start.




					www.greencarreports.com


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## mar13 (May 5, 2021)

Researching this truck company, I found relatively little news about it, which makes me think it's very small. That reminded me of a very recent statement from Warren Buffett where he was defending his company's relatively lack luster performance recently. Please excuse the slight tangent...  Here is an extract from the Wall Street Jrnl of his comment:

Despite being critical of day traders, he did give some advice to those who have traded stocks for the first time in the past year. He said that a hundred years ago, it was clear that cars would be the future. Since then, there have been more than 2,000 companies in the car-making business that have gone under.

“There is a lot more to picking stocks than figuring out what is going to be a wonderful industry in the future,” Mr. Buffett said.


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## EatenByLimestone (May 5, 2021)

semipro said:


> That's the challenge though isn't it - getting charging in scenarios like that.



That's the only challenge.    As a (small-7 vehicle but growing) fleet manager, I could dig getting rid of oil changes, brake jobs, etc.  I just need my people to be able to refuel their vehicles conveniently, wherever they are.  I dont care what the range is (within reason) if they can recharge quickly at any gas station.  I was talking to a Tesla driver I caught charging.   He said he could put on 100 miles in 15 minutes.    I can work with that.  My techs take pee breaks between stops anyway.  But the chargers need to be as common as gas pumps.    I can't have one of them blow a day of production because they forgot to charge their truck then had a rural route and ran out of battery.

The marketing/design on this truck is different.   They don't advertise a 3 second 0-60.  Its still a respectable 6 seconds though.   I think they're after a different market.


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## SpaceBus (May 5, 2021)

EatenByLimestone said:


> That's the only challenge.    As a (small-7 vehicle but growing) fleet manager, I could dig getting rid of oil changes, brake jobs, etc.  I just need my people to be able to refuel their vehicles conveniently, wherever they are.  I dont care what the range is (within reason) if they can recharge quickly at any gas station.  I was talking to a Tesla driver I caught charging.   He said he could put on 100 miles in 15 minutes.    I can work with that.  My techs take pee breaks between stops anyway.  But the chargers need to be as common as gas pumps.    I can't have one of them blow a day of production because they forgot to charge their truck then had a rural route and ran out of battery.
> 
> The marketing/design on this truck is different.   They don't advertise a 3 second 0-60.  Its still a respectable 6 seconds though.   I think they're after a different market.


I could honestly do without the crazy power and acceleration. Anything under 8-ish seconds is fast enough for me to keep up with modern traffic. I like the practicality, but a version with less power, but keeping the AWD/4x4 would be cool.


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## woodey (May 5, 2021)

Nice looking truck but for now staying with what I had . Recently traded my old Ram for this 2021 Built To Serve  Special Edition  with Hemi  and Off Road Package.


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## peakbagger (May 5, 2021)

Reminds me of the the pre T-100 Toyotas. Toyota is still selling the designed in 1970s  LJ70 variants in other parts of the world and there are reportedly electric versions being built. (they can not be sold in the US as they would have no hope of meeting NHTSA requirements) Practically I generally wonder why some entity would just buy in production body panels and then modify a chassis to fit under it? Several large firms are offering front and rear axles with an integrated motors in them. They fit where the regular axles sit and use the same suspension components as fossil powered trucks, its then its matter of packaging the batteries. and support systems.  As for speed and acceleration, with electric motors, torque is available its just a matter of programming to make it spin its tires or get longer range.

The problem is that the current investment model is SPACS and all sorts of concepts without a real company or business plan are popping up to get a hold of SPAC money. With SPACS the firms selling them make their money and walk away long before the new company actually has to make a profit.  Look Nicola on how to do it wrong, the initial firm who set up the SPAC cashed out long ago and the investors holding the stock are just holding paper in hopes that they eventually make product. 

IMHO I think an independent company is going to be hard pressed to build and support a standalone vehicle. If they do the big boys will just move in.  Tesla is special case as a lot of their initial vehicles could be subsidized  by selling environmental attributes to smaller volume car companies that wanted to sell cars in CA. 

Public charging is going to be problem. Fast chargers need a lot of watts and those watts need to come from somewhere.  Level 2 chargers max out at 40 AMPS (@240 volts) with most in the 16 to 30 AMP range and they take several hours to do full charge. Even if there is plug for every parking space most buildings switchgear and electrical distribution systems cannot handle that sort of load. Level 3 chargers are not standardized yet but they usually require 480volt. Unless a business has a fixed route with long stops I dont see it being practical, then again there are "taxi" fleets in the west coast that run EVs as their total cost of running is cheaper than fossil vehicles. They can charge the cars at night and do not have to recharge on the road, the driver just heads back to the lot and picks up another.   Regular consumers do not get billed for peak power demands but any business owner knows that if they pull too much power for one hour that can set a peak and the peak charges that hang around on the bill for the next year can sometimes exceed their usage.


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## semipro (May 5, 2021)

EatenByLimestone said:


> He said he could put on 100 miles in 15 minutes.


Funny, when I first read this I thought you were talking about driving - 400 MPH!


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## peakbagger (May 5, 2021)

Some major thread drift but if you want to see a guy who in intense in his job watch the driver as the vehicle he is driving is being shot at.  (tis got armor obviously) 

Failed Cash-In-Transit Heist Because Driver Has Balls Of Steel - YouTube


Pretoria, South Africa - armored 79 Series post-attack photos | IH8MUD Forum This thread has photos of the Toyota after the attack.


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## begreen (May 5, 2021)

Hard to say with just a computer model and no production date. I suspect that if it does finally make it into production that the price for being equipped as described will go up substantially. With a $40k price it is not going to have much battery capacity and maybe not AWD.


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## mellow (May 12, 2021)

I love the old diesel vw rabbits, this reminds me of that.


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## Nealm66 (May 12, 2021)

I suspect buying an electric vehicle now would be similar to buying a computer. Battery technology is moving at such a rapid pace that a 2 year old electric vehicle will be old tech. Not to say I’m not on board but I would look at the horizon to see if waiting might be a good investment


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## EatenByLimestone (May 12, 2021)

Businesses wouldn't be worried about the technology getting stale.   They'd probably cycle them every 3 years or so due to leasing.


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## peakbagger (May 13, 2021)

I dont see Tesla supporting long term parts inventory like Mercedes and Toyota that both have the reputation of long term support. I think Tesla had dumped any support on their original cars. That said there are a couple of fleets of taxi/courier services that have good background that Tesla's are the least cost to operate. and require fewer long term repairs. IMHO the biggest issue is that the companies are now restricting access to service information so independent shops and owners dont have ready access to it. Factory service manuals used to be available replaced by service CDs but in many cases now there is no choice but a subscription. In order to access the service info for my new Toyota its around $400 a year to get access or $40 for 2 week access.


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## EatenByLimestone (May 13, 2021)

No Haynes or Chilton's? 

I recently tossed my old books into the recycle bin.  I probably won't need info on an 82 Pontiac anymore.


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## SpaceBus (May 13, 2021)

peakbagger said:


> I dont see Tesla supporting long term parts inventory like Mercedes and Toyota that both have the reputation of long term support. I think Tesla had dumped any support on their original cars. That said there are a couple of fleets of taxi/courier services that have good background that Tesla's are the least cost to operate. and require fewer long term repairs. IMHO the biggest issue is that the companies are now restricting access to service information so independent shops and owners dont have ready access to it. Factory service manuals used to be available replaced by service CDs but in many cases now there is no choice but a subscription. In order to access the service info for my new Toyota its around $400 a year to get access or $40 for 2 week access.


$40 for two weeks is pretty good. $400/year is cheap if you own a Toyota and plan to do your own maintenance. 




EatenByLimestone said:


> No Haynes or Chilton's?
> 
> I recently tossed my old books into the recycle bin.  I probably won't need info on an 82 Pontiac anymore.



Pro mechanics love/hate people that use those manuals. On the one hand, those books bring in a lot of business, on the other hand it makes their life harder trying to fix something done poorly.


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## peakbagger (May 13, 2021)

I dont use my factory manuals that often so I would much rather have a one and done approach to buying a manual than a subscription.


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## SpaceBus (May 13, 2021)

peakbagger said:


> I dont use my factory manuals that often so I would much rather have a one and done approach to buying a manual than a subscription.


While I would have agreed with you prior to using the digitized manuals, the subscriptions are much better. You can get much more information much faster using the digitized manuals. While this current system is helping Toyota, and others, to make more money, it also makes servicing the vehicles easier. The mechanic I take my truck to would never go back.


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## EatenByLimestone (May 13, 2021)

SpaceBus said:


> $40 for two weeks is pretty good. $400/year is cheap if you own a Toyota and plan to do your own maintenance.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




It's the same with housing fixes.  I try not to fault somebody for trying to fix it themself though.   Fixing a hack job can make the fix look rough though.


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## SpaceBus (May 13, 2021)

EatenByLimestone said:


> It's the same with housing fixes.  I try not to fault somebody for trying to fix it themself though.   Fixing a hack job can make the fix look rough though.


I had a Haynes manual for my 87' Ram with 318 back in highschool. The manual ended up having the wrong firing order printed and I could not figure it out. $50 later and another dude with a Chilton manual got it running


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## EatenByLimestone (May 13, 2021)

I had a distributor installed 180° off once.    A friend father finally asked me what I did right before it ran rough. 

"I replaced the cap and rotor."

"Oh, do this..."


First car memoroes...  lol


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## woodgeek (May 21, 2021)

Forget public L3 chargers (that cost $100k), we just need houses to have $500, 3-6 kW EVSEs in them.  Apartments are harder, but only for billing, for which multiple solutions exist.

I put a 7 kW EVSE in my garage in 2014 and I've had no trouble with it since.


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## begreen (May 21, 2021)

Put a 6 kW EVSE in the garage in 2013. No issues.


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## clancey (May 22, 2021)

Speaking of first car memories and my first car was a 56 Impala Chevy and I drove it for three blocks and it overheated--paid 100 dollars for it..lol,,It was blue and white with those smaller fins as I remember it..Gave it to my mechanic and he used it for transporting parts for years...Now I have a 1999 Toyato Tacoma and love it....Those new electric trucks are beautiful but for now only a rich person could afford them and the recharging places need to be considered and storage as well---but they are beautiful and I love that trucks color--kind of a light tan beige--Yes..clancey


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## EatenByLimestone (Jun 3, 2021)

An interesting view on the F-150's frunk or former engine compartment.    The author doesn't like the aerodynamics of it.    As a contractor I thought it was a great lockable place to store tools and equipment.   










						The Ford F-150 Lightning's Mega Power Frunk Is Cool ... But Could Be Its Achilles Heel
					

Update: Several commenters note that the aerodynamics of the front are probably alright, but there are other notable aero issues with the truck (like the bed and the big mirrors). As noted in the article,




					cleantechnica.com
				




I imagine that pickup truck design followed a form follows function design.  What worked best sold.  The frunk is a spot that could disappear, but who doesnt like lockable storage?  I look at my techs and they have their beds and caps piled high with equipment and supplies.   I'd like to say they don't need it all, but they do, and it'd cost me more if they had to stop at the office to pick up supplies more often.  

I have to wonder, if there was an advantage to a smaller nose, wouldn't somebody have mounted an engine sideways as in most front wheel drive cars?  Given the Honda Ridgeline unibody design that wasn't ment to tow or haul, and all the little crossover types that are pretty much high riding cars, why not do this?


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## SpaceBus (Jun 3, 2021)

EatenByLimestone said:


> An interesting view on the F-150's frunk or former engine compartment.    The author doesn't like the aerodynamics of it.    As a contractor I thought it was a great lockable place to store tools and equipment.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Transverse engine layout is not really advantageous to hauling and towing and make servicing the engine more difficult if it is larger. You typically don't see anything other than inline four cylinders used in transverse layouts (there are some oddball standouts, but not relevant for this). If anything made sense it would be a cabover design like the oft maligned Canoo electric truck. The overall vehicle length will be less, more aero, still room for enclosed cargo if using an electric drivetrain, and visibility is much improved. The only reason MFG's go with the long nose design is ease of production and profit.


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## peakbagger (Jun 3, 2021)

My guess is clean sheet electric trucks are in the future like the Tesla but in order to get them accepted and keep the cost down, its far less expensive and less risky to use a conventional chassis.  

What would interest me is a standard battery pack that could be swapped into the frunk.


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## Nealm66 (Jun 3, 2021)

I’m actually waiting to trade in my 3500 because of the advancements on the horizon like the ribbon battery or maybe crazy nuclear waste battery. I honestly feel a gas or diesel vehicle will seem silly in the not so distant future.


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## begreen (Jun 3, 2021)

The F150 is the goose that laid the golden egg. They make more money off of it than many national budgets. I think Ford wisely is sticking with a known and loved form factor to win the conversion to EV.  By taking a familiar form and making it better, they will gain faster acceptance.


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## begreen (Jun 4, 2021)

The electric F150 received over 70,000 reservation orders in just the first week.


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## Nealm66 (Jun 4, 2021)

Wow!


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## woodgeek (Jun 20, 2021)

For those worried about charging, Ford is also launching the Maverick: a smaller hybrid truck, for $20k. !!

Thoughts?









						Ford builds an affordable, efficient small truck: The new Maverick
					

This small hybrid truck gets 40 mpg in the city and starts at $19,995.




					arstechnica.com


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