Diesel dual-cab doomsday is coming! Why China's new electric ute is the beginning of the end for diesel-powered workhorses | Opinion

The end of the road for diesel dual cabs is now in sight. In fact, next time you climb into your Ford Ranger or Toyota HiLux, listen very carefully. It's possible you'll hear the faint ticking of the doomsday clock, Edgar Allan Poe style.

I know, I know, it's not what you want to hear. Whenever I talk about this to my ute-driving mates they all say much same thing, and the words "cold, dead hands" usually feature.

But the truth is they won't have to pry your ute off you. They'll simply stop making them. And then it's petrol-hybrid or electric, or nothing.

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LDV might be the first to arrive in Australia, with the brand's eT60 to touch down here before the end of the year. But it won't be the last. Powering eT60 is an 88.5kWh lithium-ion battery, which will enable a WLTP-certified driving range of 330km.

Based on international specs, the electric ute should be able to tow 1.5 tonnes — not the 3.5-tonne expected of many utes – and it will deliver a payload capacity of around 750kg. You can also pretty much guarantee that towing or carrying anything near its limits will eat away at those range projections like water poured on sugar. 

But here's the important part. The eT60 is the first, not the last, and while its specs are more likely to satisfy a smaller dual-cab buyer group than the traditional diesel utes, you can bet the next ones will only improve the formula.

Cut to Sydney, where Rivian has been spotted bringing its R1S electric SUV - sibling to the R1T electric ute - into Australia, possibly for testing ahead of the brand's much-promised local launch. An R1T is already here, having been spotted doing the rounds in Brisbane.

At the core of the R1T is a skateboard EV chassis and quad 147kW electric motors. The brand says a total 1400Nm of torque is on offer, as well as three battery options that include 105kW, 135kWh and 180kWh configurations.

The brand says it can clip 100km/h in around 3.0 secs, and tow an impressive 3.5-tonnes, too. That sounds more like it, doesn't it?

An R1T has been reportly spotted in Brisbane.

The Ford F-150 Lightning has just undergone another price hike in the USA - it's second since launch - and demand is massively outstripping supply in its home market. 

RAM? A 1500 EV is slated for 2024. GM? Meet the Silverado EV and reborn Hummer. The change is happening, and it's happening now. 

But it's not just the big US trucks. Ford has trademarked the name Ranger Lightning in Australia, and you don't have to join too many dots to figure out what that badge might be attached to. 

Nissan and Mitsubishi are both exploring petrol-electric powertrain options of the Navara and Triton respectively. Volkswagen? Electric utes are on the table there, too. And Kia and Hyundai both plan on having an EV ute in Australia in the near future. 

The eT60 is the first electric ute offered in Australia.

The list goes on, and on. 

Even Toyota - the brand arguably slowest to move on EVs, with only one bZ model currently officially revealed - has flagged its EV ute shift, revealing an electric concept as part of its 2030 EV vision.

The point here is that, while we felt the ground shaking with the combined weight of Australia's ute owners jumping up and down about "real ute" shortfalls of the electric eT60, it's only the beginning.

Make no mistake, the end is coming for diesel dual cabs. The only question now is when.