Workhorse says the W-15 was conceived for use by commercial fleets, and as such designed the truck using input from fleet managers. At first glance, you’d be excused for confusing this truck with a Honda Ridgeline, but there are no ties between the two beyond that superficial resemblance.
The truck is built around a bespoke chassis essentially formed around a Panasonic lithium-ion battery pack, which puts the weight of the cells under the floor and out of the way.
On a full charge, Workhorse says that 60-kWh pack is good for about 130 km of all-electric driving; when its power potential drops below a certain point, a three-cylinder gas engine built by BMW runs a generator that supplies electricity to drive the truck for another roughly 370 km.
Workhorse says the gas engine never drives the truck directly, but leaves that up to electric motors at both axles that give the W-15 AWD traction. The manufacturer makes no mention of low-range gearing and doesn’t refer to the truck as a 4WD.
Claimed power output is 460 hp, with a promised zero-to-97 km/h (60 mph) acceleration time of 5.5 seconds. Charging a depleted battery takes seven to eight hours at a level 2 charging station.
In all-electric mode, Workhorse claims the W-15 is good for 3.2 Le/100 km, and a bit less than 8.0 L/100 km in combined city/highway driving when the gas engine is running the show.
Workhorse’s claimed – and impressive – payload rating of just under 1,000 kg is indeed in line with what traditional heavy duty trucks offer, but its sub-2,300-kg towing capacity only matches the Ridgeline and doesn’t touch what light-duty versions of the domestic trucks can haul.
