A fully electric Toyota pickup won’t be a rival to the Tesla Cybertruck, but that’s beside the point. Such an electric truck could be another big game-changer for the traditional market—a bit like the idea of a Ford F-150 Electric or a Chevy Silverado EV

With the reveal of the RAV4-sized Toyota bZ4X Concept on Monday, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. injected one important piece of its information into the announcement that wasn’t in the international version we first read.

Toyota BZ4X concept - 2021 Shanghai auto show

Toyota BZ4X concept - 2021 Shanghai auto show

“Toyota intends to bring electrification to its pickup truck lineup in the near future, including hybrid and BEV powertrains,” it stated. 

The arrival of an electric truck wouldn’t likely come before the 2023 model year. Toyota has already confirmed the U.S. arrival of two electric vehicle models in calendar year 2021, of which the bZ is one. An electric Toyota sedan is expected to be the other. That’s already a lot to put on Toyota’s dealership network, which reportedly was not at all asking for EVs as recently as 2019. 

2021 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro

2021 Toyota Tundra TRD Pro

A hybrid truck could potentially arrive sooner, though. Toyota has for many years teased the idea that hybrid technology will be coming to all of its vehicle segments—including trucks. And with the proliferation of battery electric vehicles, and policy that might bring their adoption even closer, it needs to happen soon.