A lot of those old ones were selling kits that used overbuilt golf cart motors. They worked, but were underwhelming. As EVs became more mainstream, people started pulling EV drive trains from wreaks and either DIYing it or hiring an independent shop to do it.

Edison has done real world, on road testing of their semitruck drive train with a loaded(and maybe overloaded) haul of logs. The family that owns Edison Motors also owns a logging company, so they're interesting is using what they're making. They're also shipping the first full size pickup truck kits to their partners for testing.

They also teased a smaller drive axle that would work with smaller trucks or jeeps.

A big problem with that idea is, first, everything on the car is often worn out by the time the engine is done for, and if you use a new vehicle, you're buying a whole drive train for no good reason.

Second is, older vehicles are often less safe, and outdated in terms of the technology on board.

Totally agree with everything you’re saying. The gen 1 titan was like the least aggressive looking of basically all the pickups around its time. Sadly the gen 2’s ended up just looking like the same ol same ol modern pickup truck with a massive square hood. That said, the gen 1’s are notoriously difficult to work on because of its stubby nose. You should see the hassle I went through trying to get to the fuse box in mine. It’s like…behind the back of the hood practically under the windshield. But I love its massive front dashboard and bubble look. Reminds me a bit of the old previas.