Nissan is reportedly exploring the possibility of an electric pickup truck for the U.S. market.

Nissan has unveiled a handful of concepts in 2021 that preview potential designs for the brand's upcoming EV portfolio. One of them is a pickup truck called the Surf-Out, which could be popular in the U.S. as both a lifestyle truck and a light-duty workhorse

Nissan's design chief Alfonso Albaisa said in a 2022 Motor Authority interview in which he said his design team was investigating an electric pickup truck, and now an executive representing a Nissan dealership has revealed that Nissan is studying one for the United States

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This information was revealed by Tyler Slade, chairman of the Nissan Dealer Advisory Board, in an interview with Automotive News (subscription required) published Sunday.

Slade also said in the interview that commercial buyers could benefit because dealers are seeking mid-size electric trucks, which could have lower running costs compared to traditional gas engine trucks.

Ford already offers an electric truck in the form of the full-size F-150 Lightning, and General Motors and Ram are preparing full-size electric trucks for 2024, but Nissan's electric truck will likely be in the mid-size or smaller category. A mid-size electric pickup called the R1T is already on the market, but its price is high, starting at $73,000.

According to Automotive News sources, Nissan plans to exit the full-size pickup truck segment as early as this year. Nissan's current choice in this segment, the Titan, could sell only 27,406 units in 2021 and 15,063 units in 2022.

Nissan plans 23 electrified models across Nissan and Infiniti brands by 2030, 15 of which will be EVs. The first of the new EVs is expected to be introduced in 2025.