Ohio-based Workhorse is trying to be the first to market with a plug-in hybrid electric pickup truck.

The company claims to have accumulated over 5,300 orders for its truck since unveiling it last year and now it opens reservations to the public.

Workhorse’s W-15 is equipped with a unique hybrid powertrain technology.

They say it will get up to 80 miles on all-electric mode thanks to a very large 60 kWh battery pack (for a PHEV) – though they say that they are software-locking 20 kWh in capacity to reduce battery degradation.

There are two schools of thoughts on the matter. Some think it’s a waste of capacity and that they should let owners access the energy when needed, and others like not to have to worry about the battery losing capacity against the advertised range after a few years.

But the large battery pack is also useful to power tools on location for constructions workers and other hobbyists – with a 7.2 kW power system that allows owners to plug-in anything.

When the battery pack is depleted, the gasoline engine kicks in to act as a range extender to feed the two 230-hp/172-kW electric motors, one at each axle, that powers the vehicle. Combined, Workhorse claims a range of 310 miles for the W-15 and a 28/32 mpg city/highway mileage when running only on gasoline.

With a planned starting price of $52,000 before incentives, buyers of the electric pickup could potentially get away with the truck for a reasonable $40,000 to $45,000 after incentives in certain states and provinces.

It’s apparently good enough offer to attract over 5,300 pre-orders, according to the company.

They wrote in an email this week to announce they are now opening orders to the public:

“Happy 2018! On behalf of everyone here at Workhorse, thank you for your continued support of our W-15 electric pick-up truck. Over the past months we have received thousands of emails offering support, ideas, and inputs. Thanks to you and the tireless efforts of the Workhorse R&D team I am thrilled to announce that we have opened W-15 reservations for everyone! We believe that the W-15 will be the safest, highest performance, lowest total cost of ownership pick-up truck. By clicking the link you will be redirected to the webpage where you can place your reservation. The cost to pre-order a Workhorse W-15 is $1000 per truck, which is fully refundable. The purchase price of the vehicle is estimated at $52,500 and we expect the W-15 to be eligible under current legislation for a $7,500 tax credit for US citizens. The specifications and additional information on the vehicle including total cost of ownership, safety, and performance features can be found here. Workhorse currently has over 5,300 W-15 trucks on pre-order from fleet operators. These pre-orders will start to deliver in late 2018. We will keep you informed as delivery dates approach in 2019. Order now and reserve your place in line!”

Electrek’s Take

We now know about several electric pickup programs underway, like Elon Musk recently confirming that a Tesla pickup truck is coming ‘after Model Y’ and the all-electric Havelaar Bison E-Pickup from Canada.

But it looks like Workhorse, which already has experience building PHEV commercial vans, is well-positioned to be first to market.

While we are not the biggest fans of PHEVs, Workhorse is talking about a significant all-electric range before the range extender kicks in.

I’d be impressed if they can stick to that production timeline and start deliveries this year for the fleet orders.

What do you think? Let us know in the comment section below.

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