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The Hercules Alpha Electric Pickup Truck Seems Like Wishful Thinking

First things first, take a look at the photos in the gallery. The “first eco-utility pickup in the rugged, refined luxury market” looks a lot like the Nissan Titan, don’t you think? That isn’t a coincidence at all, and as you may have guessed by now, the people behind the Hercules Alpha have yet to deliver a scale model or a working prototype.
Hercules Alpha Electric Pickup Truck 6 photos
Photo: Hercules Electric Vehicles
Nissan TitanHercules Alpha Electric Pickup TruckNissan TitanHercules Alpha Electric Pickup TruckHercules Alpha Electric Pickup Truck
Founded in December 2018, the Hercules Electric Vehicles company is promising “bold designs, luxurious materials, elegant displays, and unsurpassed features” along with more than 300 miles of driving range, four motors with 1,000 horsepower in total, and 60 mph in four seconds flat. Pretty tall claims for a rendering, and the wishful thinking continues with fast charging and a top speed of 120 mph (193 kph).

The gross vehicle weight rating of the Alpha is 10,400 pounds, payload capacity is listed at 2,500 pounds, and the trailering weight tops 12,500 pounds (5,670 kilograms). HEV also highlights “zero radius turning,” which sounds a lot like the quad-motor tank turn that Rivian demonstrated with the R1T back in December 2019.

So far, it’s pretty clear that Hercules talks the talk but doesn’t walk the walk. The only glimmer of hope to see the Alpha in the flesh comes in the guise of a press release about an OEM partner. Worksport Ltd. has signed a supply agreement for a tonneau cover solar charging system called TerraVis, which offers the kind of charging rate that you can expect from a level 1 cord plugged into a 110-volt outlet.

But wait, there’s more! “We will mutually pursue necessary funding, investment, and working capital for overall project success, including cross-introductions to investment partners,” said Steven Rossi, the head honcho of Worksport. Reading between the lines, it sure seems that both companies are strapped for cash, hoping to attract investors with the aim of putting the TerraVis and the Alpha into production.

Last, but not least, who is the founding father of Hercules? Make that James Breyer, who describes himself as a veteran of the automotive industry thanks to 20-plus years of experience in this field. While at Ford, Breyer was “instrumental in launching fuel-cell, hybrid, and electric vehicles. He also led development of the Volt powertrain and global EV powertrains such as the one in the Spark EV” while at General Motors.

What do you think? Would you reserve the Alpha by dropping a $1,500 deposit with the hope that production will start in 2022 or would you spend your money on something more palpable? The Rivian R1T comes to mind, and the Lordstown Endurance isn’t too shabby either.

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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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