Enter, the eco-beast.

Tesla, of course, has already planted its flag. Last November, the pioneering electric carmaker whose market value just passed $100 billion made perhaps more of a splash than its chief executive, Elon Musk, expected when he unveiled the Tesla Cybertruck, which is scheduled to begin production late next year.

Even though the public still has no idea what the Hummer EV will look like, it is hard to imagine that it will be any crazier than the Cybertruck, a luxury-priced battle cruiser seemingly from the 23rd century. It features a stainless-steel “exoskeleton” billed as bullet-resistant, a triangular roof worthy of the MoMA sculpture garden and putatively shatterproof “armour glass” windows that are capable of surviving anything but a press preview, apparently.

Not to be outdone, a Michigan-based start-up called Rivian will soon beam in an electric pickup of its own from some Star Trek future, aided by $700 million chipped in from Amazon. Like the Hummer, the company promises Tesla-like acceleration for its sleek, minimalist R1T Truck (3 second, 0 to 60), as well as a Tesla-like price tag (prices start at $69,000).

And then there’s another start-up, Bollinger Motors, which is steering into this burgeoning category with an aluminum-bodied $125,000 electro-pickup called the B1 that is distinctive for its boxy military styling and riveted dark gray exterior. It looks ready for an armored assault, or at least a Batman sequel.

At this point, it seems fair to ask, what gives?

Pickups are supposed to be about dusty bluejeans, Budweiser long-necks and Friday night lights, right? No less a bard of the barnyard than Blake Shelton once captured the essence of pickup ownership in his hit song, “Boys ’Round Here” (“talking ’bout girls, talking ’bout trucks, running them red dirt roads, kicking up dust”).

Maybe that’s reality back home on his ranch in Tishomingo, Okla., or one of the other properties where Mr. Shelton lives the quiet life of a platinum-selling country superstar bunking with Gwen Stefani.