This South African battery bakkie has huge power.

Battery bakkies are the future. Tesla has invested in producing its Cybertruck and Rivian could be the most keenly anticipated launch in a decade.

South Africans might feel a touch amiss in all of this. We are a proven bakkie market, with loyal customers and knowledgeable product planners. But where are the South African battery bakkie options? We’ll tell you: they are at Mazibuko Motors – perhaps.

This new South African automotive start-up is keen on disrupting the local status quo or Hilux and Ranger, with its M1B, which is 45 mm longer and 25 mm narrower than a new Toyota 2.8 GD double-cab.

Using computer-aided design, Mazibuko Motors hopes to streamline its R&D costs. The M1B platform uses a skateboard type energy storage layout, much like Rivian’s battery-powered bakkies.

Unlike Cybertruck or Rivian, engineer(s) at Mazibuko Motors have opted for a classic ladder-frame type platform, with independent suspension at all four wheel corners and the battery occupying much of the chassis centre section.

The platform flex that a ladder-frame allows, will appeal to those intending to use the M1B in testing off-road terrain. One issue, though, might be the bakkie’s ground clearance. At only 165 mm, the Mazibuko Motors M1B double-cab has 30% less ground clearance than a Ford Ranger.

According to Mazibuko Motors, their platform can accommodate both unibody and body-on-frame vehicle outcomes, which would be interesting, as virtually no other car company uses this approach. The Toyota Fortuner, for example, has a body-on-frame platform, which cannot be shortened and converted to a Rav4’s unibody design.

Mazibuko power output

The M1B draws energy from a 120 kWh battery pack, slightly larger than anything Tesla or Porsche have in use. With an electric motor driving each axle, the all-wheel-drive M1B double-cab bakkie does not lack for performance.

Peak power is rated at 500 kW, supported by 1 300 Nm of torque. Mazibuko Motors is claiming its design will be good for 0-100 kph in five seconds and have a range of 400 km.

Is there a production schedule or launch deadline for the Mazibuko Motors M1B? Not yet. But the start-up is certainly ambitious.

Whether the projecthas any real legs is up for debate. The computer-generated renderings of the bakkie don't look to be up to professional standards and the design appears very similar to that of the Rivian bakkie, which may pose legal problems down the line.

The project is currently looking for funding via its website, but it would be wise to do your own research before dropping a dimeon this project. It's notoriously difficult to build an electric vehicle with global companies investing 10s of billions of dollars into it for a single model.

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