About this episode
Plug-In Pickups Are Already Out ThereElectrified pickups are slowly gaining ground, but plug-in hybrid versions are still a rare sight in the U.S. In other parts of the world, though, they’re already much more common.Ford has rolled out the Ranger PHEV, while China’s BYD is pushing the Shark plug-in hybrid pickup in markets like Mexico, Asia, and Australia. Nissan has also introduced a plug-in version of the Frontier overseas.Toyota has also been pushing electrification in its pickups, but mostly outside America, with the company showing off a battery-electric Hilux. But the Tacoma, Toyota’s main midsize pickup in the US, still doesn’t have a plug-in version.That may be something the Japanese automaker is studying. Two recently published patent applications, first spotted by CarBuzz, describe a plug-in hybrid pickup truck configuration designed around battery placement and packaging.Filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office in August 2025 (patent numbers 20260061820 and 20260061819 if you want to check), these documents were published in March.
USPTO
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Toyota’s Patent Focuses on Where the Batteries GoThe patents aren’t about launching a new truck just yet. Instead, they tackle a practical question: where do you put a big battery in a body-on-frame pickup?Pickups aren’t like passenger cars underneath. The engine, transmission, driveshaft, exhaust, and suspension all fight for space below the floor. That leaves little room for the kind of big battery pack a plug-in hybrid needs.One patent shows a single main battery mounted under the cargo bed floor, tucke
