Pickups are going electric and truck fans are buying in. Will it reduce carbon emissions?

Switching from a gas-guzzling pickup truck to an electric model was easy for Steve Vivian, he says, thanks in part to the design. 

"It just looks like a pickup truck," he told The Sunday Magazine's Peter Mitton.

Vivian's Ford F-150 Lightning, the all-electric version of the U.S.-automaker's best-selling vehicle, was among the first in Canada. The Guelph, Ont., HVAC technician and firefighter bought it sight unseen last fall, putting down a deposit and waiting 18 months for delivery.

There are few signs that Vivian's F-150 is different from its gas-powered kin. Only a closed-off front grill that opens to a frunk — or front trunk — not an engine, and a charging port near the driver's side door signal its propulsion method.

"I'm not, you know, the biggest environmentally friendly person in the world. But it is nice to know that it will have some impact," said Vivian.

Pickup trucks have been among the best-selling vehicles in Canada for decades. Last year, four of the top five most-sold vehicles were full-size trucks — the fuel-based Ford F-150 topping the list — according to data collected by Driving.ca. According to Ford, that model has been the No. 1 selling line of pickup trucks in Canada for 57 years.

Proponents say utility is a big reason for the popularity of trucks, while others see them as a status symbol.

The race to lower carbon emissions has pushed automakers to pivot many of their models from fuel to battery power. Until recently, those electric models have been smaller, sometimes eccentrically styled models. But now, more large, utility-focused models are coming onto the market.

"It's great in that we are electrifying the fleet, and that is the important thing," said David Reichmuth, a senior engineer of clean transportation with the non-profit science advocacy group Union of Concerned Scientists. "We really can't do it too fast to limit the damage from climate change." 

But just as larger gas cars typically have a larger environmental footprint, the same is true for electric vehicles. 

"Just because we're switching from gasoline to an electric vehicle doesn't mean that that gives us license to go buy a Hummer or the largest, least efficient vehicle that we can find," said Reichmuth.

The popularity of trucks and SUVs in North America is no accident. Manufacturers have been steadily pushing them for decades.

"What are the ads between innings in a baseball game? It's large SUVs or pickup trucks going off road to the top of a mountain," said Reichmuth.

"That's not what people need vehicles for in general. They need them to get to work, to school, to the grocery store, etc."