Meet the Thundertruck

Wednesday, 29 December 2021

Meet the Thundertruck, an all-electric off-road concept that can be configured in a number of different ways - even with an extra component that adds a bigger battery and more wheels!

The new dawn of electric vehicles is opening up many new options for car design and layout, something that car designers are slowly coming to grips with, with some very exciting possibilities starting to appear on the horizon.

One of our recent favourites has to be the mighty Thundertruck that has just been revealed. Not so much for its general design – which is pretty much a blatant rip off of Tesla’s Cybertruck, but just with added accessories and ground clearance – but more for its intriguing modular abilities.

Of course, building a production vehicle is infinitely more difficult than coming up with exciting ideas in a 3D rendering, but we like the thinking Wolfgang L.A. (the creative consultancy agency behind the idea of the Thundertruck) is displaying here.

There’s more than a few hints of Tesla’s Cybertruck in its design, but the Thundertruck packs more than a few of its own very clever touches.

One of the more interesting ideas is the “Solar Awning” that fits into a pair of storage pods on the roof and folds out either side of the truck when it is stationary to not only provide shade, but also top up the Thundertruck’s batteries.

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The ‘Solar Awning’ provides shade and a handy top-up charge for the batteries. Plus, it would make Batman proud.

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The Thundertruck’s smartest trick is the detachable range extender unit that not only adds more range and grunt, but also two more wheels.

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Speaking of batteries, Thundertruck says the beast has a theoretical range of 644 kilometres from its 180kWh battery pack, with a combined power and torque output from its dual electric motors of 590kW and 1085Nm.

Which is pretty impressive, but gets even better when you add the extra “TT Range Extender” that not only adds more range, power and torque, but also two more wheels.

Yes, that’s right, the extra module fits onto the back of the Thundertruck and adds a further 258km of range from its own 120kWh battery, as well as a further 101kW of power and 542Nm of torque.

The range extender module is “self-balancing” and can be detached anywhere to serve as a portable battery pack “for all of your camping and work needs”, according to the company.

It also turns the Thundertruck into a 691kW/1627Nm six-wheeled beast, that packs some serious off-road capabilities in either form.

In both 4WD and 6WD guise the Thundertruck boasts an impressive 48 degree approach angle and a remarkable 82 degree departure angle, with a very useful 368mm of ground clearance. It is a big lad though, weighing in at 2776kg in 4WD form and 3430kg in 6WD form, which to be fair, is about standard for an ICE big American pickup, so the fact it is lugging around some big batteries makes this pretty impressive, in a strictly theoretical sense that is.

It also stands a towering 2032mm, and is 5258mm long, with that extra two wheels stretching it out to a fairly unwieldy 6248mm in length. Good luck parking it anywhere in town. Still, that massive length does endow it with a handy 1829mm tray length in 4WD form, ballooning up to 3048mm in 6WD form.

Will the Thundertruck ever become a reality? Unlikely, but we love the creativity of design and function that the shift to electric motors is providing for the next generation of cars.