PRACTICAL PURPOSES

First fully electric pick-up has no bells or whistles – but does its job well

PUBLIC charging stations for electric vehicles are, I have learned, the most sociable spaces in Ireland. Since you and the person next to you are going to be there for half an hour or longer, conversations strike up quite naturally.

Needless to say, the main topic is electric cars.

This week, I had to drive between Dublin and Wexford a couple of times. There was a mix-up with my test car, and there was no home charging cable in it, so I was reliant on the Ionity chargers in the M11 services between Gorey and Arklow.

I got chatting to a man who has racked up over 100,000km in a Volkswagen ID.3 with no obvious battery degradation, so if you’re worried about how long you’ll hang on to an EV, there’s a real-world example.

In return, he was fascinated by the Chinese SAIC Maxus T90 pick-up truck pictured here (look closely at the rear passenger window and you’ll see my slightly impatient dog Molly wondering why we have been stopped for so long).

It’s a four-seater double cab, with enough space in the cargo box for a 1,000kg payload. My car didn’t have a towbar, but Maxus claims 750kg unbraked, and 1,000kg braked.

It is a first, the only fully electric pick-up truck available in this market, and for that reason alone, it will attract interest from utility company repair crews, farmers, and others in the commercial sphere who need the convenience of a pick-up. For them, it will cost €58,117 without VAT and VRT. If, on the other hand, you’re a private motorist making a lifestyle choice, you’re looking at €69,950 straight retail.

You might actually pay that sort of money if you lived on top of a mountain and wanted to make sure snow would be no impediment to your movements, but this is rear-wheel drive only, with no 4x4 version available here yet, so for that sort of money, it is quite basic in many respects.

For starters, and this is a major downside, there’s no cruise control, which nowadays terrifies me, because I usually engage it everywhere just in case I accidentally stray into penalty points territory. It’s not a huge issue on the motorway, because the top speed is capped at 125kph anyway, but it can be irksome on 50kph roads, where getting the balance right demands constant attention to the speedometer.

The infotainment system is pretty basic, to the point where only the radio frequencies are displayed, not the logos of individual stations to make it easier to flick between them. Ignition is by manual key only, which I usually remembered only when I was seated and belted, and then had to play the ‘which pocket did I put it in?’ game.

Weirdest of all, though, is the fact that you practically have to put your entire weight on the brake to toggle between Reverse and Drive.

Several times, having reversed out of a space at motorway services into the main drag, switching to Drive did nothing at all.

I eventually got a handle on it, but it was heartstopping once or twice.

So, with the negatives out of the way, what about the good stuff? Well, it looks great, especially in the blue you see here, though there’s a vibrant orange paint job that also looks the business. The wheels look a little small, but the bigger you go, the more road resistance, with a knockon effect on range.

In that department though, I was pleasantly surprised, because range prediction is more accurate than even in some luxury cars.

Handling is surprisingly nimble, though the suspension, sturdy at the rear to support that one-tonne payload, means that you do tend to feel lumps and bumps a little more dramatically than in other vehicles. To that end too, and this is necessary, the tailgate is pretty heavy, surprisingly so the first time you drop it. I might have let out a little ‘ouch!’.

This is a long piece of kit at almost 5.4m, which makes city parking an adventure, and you’ll be very glad indeed of the rearview camera.

Charging time at home, from 5-100 per cent, is nine hours on a 7kW wallbox, and 45 minutes from 20-80 per cent at the maximum intake of 80kW.

Overall, I liked the T90, but then I like pick-ups anyway, even though I would never have any practical need for one. In the commercial space, though, it’s nice to welcome a fully electric alternative. With a little more in the way of baubles, this would be a fine addition to any fleet.