I found a short wheelbase with 200 mile range detail in a buried lede under the big Tern RC8 (Class 8) Battery Electric Truck announcement.

A 100% battery-electric platform with an industry-leading short wheelbase of 165 inches

A gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of 68,000 lbs. targeting applications of approximately 200 miles in regional city duty cycles, addressing 95 percent of use cases. […]

This launch aligns with the Advanced Clean Fleets regulation in California and gives fleets an excellent option to decarbonize their supply chain, especially in target applications like metro-regional routes, food & beverage logistics and similar routes where the tight turning radius and popular 4×2 chassis offer practical benefits.

Urban heavy electric trucks seem like a great idea, like it is 1917 again.

What I find particularly interesting is that Tern is already known for super long-range electric adventure bikes.

Their Orox bike, running a Bosch Performance Line CX motor (85 Nm torque offering 340% assistance), carries twin 800 Wh batteries for a top range of over 300 km (186 miles).

Altogether the news of both essentially hints at the overdue repeal of dumb 1950s American car culture, with a strong return to smart values of 100 years ago or more. The American “wheelmen” revolution of the late 1800s, which notably included Black men inventing mountain biking, was characterized by very long bike rides and very short truck duty circuits.

When you really look at Tern designs, the bikes also offer amazing cargo options including integrated trailer hitches and even passenger seats.

Municipalities adopting the Tern fleets of trucks and bikes will revolutionize their service fleets, from postal delivery to produce and utilities, effectively eliminating pollution and dangerous dependency on petroleum fuel infrastructure.

In related news, Texas has asked people to stop driving combustion engines and walk or bike instead.