In the USA in particular the pick-up truck is king of the road with millions sold every year. This type of vehicle is actually well suited to electric propulsion as they tend to be used for relatively short journeys and if taken off road, electric motors are well suited to delivering the required power and torque.

The potential of the sector has attracted the attention of electric vehicle maker Tesla, who recently launched its Cybertruck, although not without its problems. But while Tesla may have its own unique take on the future pick-up, a new market entrant called Rivian is looking to be a serious rival.

Unlike Tesla it is not trying to rewrite the rule book and it is working alongside car makers such as Ford, who have invested $500 million, to produce a futuristic but more conventional pick-up design that is driven totally by battery power.

Its R1T model features 4 independent in-wheel motors and as the video below shows, electric propulsion does not just cut out fuel consumption and exhaust emissions, it also opens up the possibility of some very different vehicle manoeuvres.

As each in-wheel motor can operate independently it means they can spin in opposite directions simultaneously. So for example, if the two wheels on the left side of the vehicle spin one way and the right side spins the other way, the truck can pivot on the same spot. This type of “tank turn”can produce some eye-catching off-road doughnuts, but Rivian says also has more practical applications on tight trails and construction sites.