It’s that time of year when new vehicles are being revealed, and the smack talk starts to fly. Ford has been using the new Ford Bronco to diss the Jeep Wrangler and the Ford Explorer to flex on the Kia Telluride. Only now, Ford gets a taste of their behavior as Nikola’s founder claims that the Electric Badger pickup truck will be better than the Ford F-150. 

The Electric Badger Challenges the Ford F-150 

Nikola Motors founder, Trevor Milton, is feeling pretty confident as stock in Nikola has been recently on the rise. He’s feeling so confident that he suggests the Nikola Badger electric pickup will rival the Ford F-150. However, the Electric Badger isn’t available to drive off the lot yet, and the Ford F-150 is the most popular truck in America. 

You can pay to reserve the Electric Badger on June 29th. Reservations will cost between $250 to $5,000, and the truck will cost between $60k to $90k. So, only about $30k will be on the line. Meanwhile, the 2020 Ford F-150 has a starting price of around $28k. 

Can the Nikola Badger Rival the Ford F-150? 

Nikola executive, Trevor Milton, suggests that the Nikola Badger is the size of the Ford F-150, with enough room for the family, and you can put a four-wheeler in the back. It’s a true pickup truck that isn’t designed to take on the Tesla Cybertruck, and people are attracted to it to reduce their carbon footprint. 

The new electric Ford truck was recently delayed until 2022 due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, but you can still get gas or diesel-powered Ford F-150 trucks right now.

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So, is the Electric Badger worth waiting for? The Electric Badger isn’t going into production until 2022, so that’s one long wait. Maybe you’ll see your Badger by the end of 2022, and perhaps you’ll get it in 2023. 

Electric Badger and Ford F-150 Power 

The Badger will be available with a pure electric-battery that provides a 300-mile range and with an electric-hybrid battery and fuel-cell hybrid. The fuel-cell hybrid model is expected to have a 600-mile range. 

While we will learn more when the Badger pickup truck makes its debut on June 29th, it will have 906 horsepower, 980 lb-ft of torque, and a towing capacity of 8,000 lb. The 2020 Ford F-150 provides 250 – 450 horsepower depending on the build you choose. It can also tow up to 13,200 lb when properly equipped. 

The Nikola Badger will be equipped with a 160.0-kWh battery pack and an optional 120.0-kW fuel cell. It will also have a 15-kW power outlet for hooking up tools or camping equipment. The 2020 Ford F-150 gets up to 21 mpg in the city and up to 28 mpg on the highway. 

Also, Trevor Milton claims that the Electric Badger pickup truck will qualify for a $7,500 tax credit. We suppose the Nikola Badger can rival the Ford F-150, but Nikola should pick on someone their own size.

Why not go after the Rivian R1T electric pickup truck instead? Comparing a $60k to $90k electric truck to a $30k gas-powered truck is like comparing homemade coffee to a daily $6 Starbucks. They’re in different classes!