Workhorse W-15 4WD Plug-In Electric Work Truck Prototype First Drive

You and I might shop for a vehicle based on metrics such as performance, styling, options, fuel economy, comfort, and more, but for commercial fleet managers, it all comes back to cost. Fleet vehicles often work around the clock, and reliability, efficiency, and longevity are king because any amount of downtime costs money. Ohio’s Workhorse Group thinks it has the perfect light-duty truck for those criteria: The Workhorse W-15 4WD Plug-In Electric Work Truck.

Workhorse isn’t the first company to attempt to put an electric pickup on the road, but it is the first to build one from the ground up rather than convert an existing truck. Phoenix Motorcars has been converting Ford E-Series vans to electric drivetrains for years and attempted, briefly, to do the same to a Ssangyong pickup imported from South Korea. Via Motors has been converting Chevrolet Silverados and Express vans into plug-in hybrids for a few years now, but both graft electric motors onto the existing powertrain.

Workhorse has taken the idea a step further and is poised to beat the much-hyped Tesla EV pickup to market by several years. Like Tesla, Workhorse builds its own battery pack with Panasonic 18650 lithium-ion cells and mounts it fully under the vehicle, where it doubles as the truck’s frame. To the frame are mounted front and rear subframes, each with an electric motor, single-speed reduction gearbox, and a fully independent coil-spring suspension. Up front, a BMW-sourced three-cylinder gasoline engine acts a generator producing 50 kW of electricity to charge the battery or drive the electric motors (it never powers the wheels mechanically).

The battery pack is rated to carry 60 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity, though Workhorse limits its usable capacity to just 40 kWh to reduce strain on the battery in heavy fleet usage and increase its lifespan. As such, the W-15 has an electric-only range of 80 miles. Once the battery is drained, the gasoline engine kicks on and gives the truck another 310 miles of gas-powered range from its 11-gallon tank. Workhorse estimates the W-15 will get 28/32 mpg city/highway when running on regular gasoline, easily besting every other gas- and diesel-powered light-duty pickup on the market.

When it comes time to charge, the W-15 accepts 110-volt, 240-volt, and DC Fast chargers. On a typical 240-volt charger, it’ll need six to seven hours to fill an empty battery. Ideally, a fleet vehicle like this would be plugged-in every night when returned to the yard, ensuring drivers use electric power as much as possible and gaining access to lower overnight charging costs. Even charging during the day, the W-15 will cost significantly less to operate than a gas-only truck. Our office pays $0.07 per kWh at peak demand during the day, and it only costs about $4.00 to fully charge our long-term Chevrolet Bolt’s 60 kWh battery. The pack is air cooled and heated to operate in all temperature ranges, though extreme temperatures will affect range.

Actually powering the wheels are two 230-hp/172-kW electric motors, one at each axle, producing a total of 460 hp, though the truck is limited to 80 mph for efficiency. This setup allows for full-time all-wheel drive with active torque vectoring, giving the W-15 greater theoretical off-road capability than a typical stock truck, though its 12 inches of ground clearance and long front overhang could limit the obstacles it can tackle. The motors can also act as generators under regenerative braking to capture braking energy.

Workhorse’s purpose-built chassis also allows for greater payload and towing than converted trucks. A 6-foot-6-inch bed and extended cab are the only configuration available at launch, and they can hold up to 2,200 pounds of payload. The W-15 can also tow 5,000 pounds and has a Gross Vehicle Weight Rating of 7,200 pounds, making it comparable to a V-6-powered pickup. The Via Motors truck, by comparison, has a 1,000-pound payload capacity and towing is estimated around 4,000 pounds.

Even though the W-15 can’t touch a gas- or diesel-powered pickup’s payload and towing capabilities, CEO Steve Burns says that isn’t the point. The W-15 is aimed at fleet managers who want to reduce costs on their light-duty vehicle fleet. These trucks are generally used for local service calls and rarely tow or haul heavy equipment, and when that capability is needed, there are other trucks in the fleet better suited to the task. Workhorse boasts over 5,000 preorders, mostly from electrical utilities looking to replace their gas-powered pickups for in-town duty.

It’s obvious at first glance the W-15 is designed for work. A light bar with yellow hazard lights is integrated into the roof and a sprayed-in bedliner is standard. A power export module is mounted behind a door on the passenger’s side of the bed and puts out 7.2 kWh, enough to easily power a job site. The export pulls power off the battery, and if you manage to drain it, the generator will kick on. Workhorse is working on a 14 kWh module that’ll allow the truck to power a whole house in the event of a power outage.

The bed and the entire truck body are made from lightweight carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic, which is stronger and lighter than metal and doesn’t dent. In the event it’s damaged, it can be repaired or the panel can easily be swapped out. With the lightweight body, dedicated chassis, and no available options (for now), the W-15 weighs in at just 5,000 pounds (the Via truck weighs 6,500 pounds). The bed can support lumber racks, toolboxes, camper shells, and anything else you can think to mount to it.

Like most EVs, the W-15 carries its weight down low, giving a low center of gravity and a feeling of solidity on the road. Because there’s only one hand-built prototype at the moment, our test drive was limited to a large convention center parking lot. This early example was, as you might expect, a bit rough around the edges. There’s a bit of shunting in the powertrain, the brake pedal is soft and response is vague, and the steering is light and slow, but it all feels like it could be easily cleaned up with some work on the control software.

Look past the prototype foibles, and it drives like a big, tall Tesla. Power is smooth and instantaneous. Workhorse says it’ll hit 60 mph from a stop in 5.5 seconds, and that feels accurate. The regenerative braking is currently very light, but it will increase before the truck goes into production. Thanks to the low center of gravity, the truck feels planted to the ground and corners surprisingly flat. As the battery was at 75 percent charge, we didn’t get to experience the range extender in action, but Workhorse plans to include a way to manually start the generator in the production truck. The truck seemed to ride nicely, though the surface was in good condition.

Controlling the truck is a familiar affair. A key is required to unlock the steering column, and a button on the steering wheel starts the truck. Drive is selected via a rotary knob mounted in the middle of the dashboard, below a medium-sized floating touchscreen. The touchscreen handles most of the vehicle’s functions through a simple, intuitive interface that works even when you’re wearing gloves. Baked into it is Workhorse’s Metron fleet management software, which keeps the fleet manager apprised of the truck’s location and condition in real time. All of the truck’s software can be updated over the air like a Tesla, though nationwide sales and service will be handled by fleet giant Ryder.

If the touchscreen proves distracting, the W-15 comes standard with collision warning and emergency braking systems, as well as lane departure warning and lane keeping systems. It’ll also feature adaptive cruise control and a full complement of airbags. Workhorse is hoping to achieve the highest-ever ratings for a pickup from both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The big front crumple zone gives the truck a lot of front overhang, and there’s only a tiny frunk under the hood that’s just big enough to hold adapters for the power export.

For now, there’s only one cab and bed configuration and no options to keep the ordering and manufacturing process simple. The extended cab features short rear doors and seating for five, though the rear seat looks a little small for burly construction workers. Still, Workhorse says it’s the most popular cab for fleets, and more cab and bed options will be available in the future, as well as options. Also to come: W-25 and W-35 heavy duty models. In all, the truck is about the size of a Toyota Tundra with the extended cab and 6-foot-6-inch bed, just a bit longer in the nose.

Assuming all goes well, the Workhorse W-15 will go into production in late 2018 at a price of $52,500 (Via’s truck is $65,000), and it will qualify for the $7,500 federal tax rebate (assuming it’s still around) and some state tax rebates. Workhorse hopes to build 10,000 trucks in its first year for fleet customers only. Further out, the company will consider selling directly to consumers if there’s enough demand.

It’s easy to be pessimistic about the W-15’s future, given how many automakers have tried and failed to sell a hybrid pickup in the past. Even General Motors couldn’t get the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra hybrids to catch on. Workhorse, though, isn’t just a start-up, it’s been in the business for years. Noticed any UPS trucks with the word hybrid on the side in your neighborhood? Workhorse builds those, as well as trucks for FedEx, Penske, Ryder, DHL, and more. The company knows vehicle production, and it knows fleets. Moreover, it’s the first company to build a dedicated hybrid truck rather than cram batteries into an existing vehicle never designed for them, and the advantages show in the truck’s capabilities. If and when the W-15 does go into production, we’ve already asked to test one.

Workhorse W-15 4WD Plug-In Electric Work Truck Prototype
BASE PRICE	$52,500
VEHICLE LAYOUT	Front- and rear-motor, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door truck
ENGINE	0.7L/38-hp (est)/41-lb-ft DOHC 8-valve I-2 plus 230-hp/NA-lb-ft front and 230-hp/NA-lb-ft rear electric motors; 260 hp/NA-lb-ft comb
TRANSMISSION	1-speed automatic
CURB WEIGHT	5,000 lb (mfr)
WHEELBASE	143.0 in
LENGTH X WIDTH X HEIGHT	234.0 x 80.0 x 73.9 in
0-60 MPH	5.5 sec (mfr est)
EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON	32/28/30 mpg (gas), 75 mpg-e (electric, est)
ENERGY CONSUMPTION, CITY/HWY	105/120 (gas); 25 (electric) kW-hrs/100 mi (est)
CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB	0.62 (gas), 0.0 (electric) lb/mi *(est)
ON SALE IN U.S.	Late 2018
*At vehicle

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