The 2020 Ford F-150 Hybrid is going to be a truck that takes you farther without sacrificing power and a truck that helps you do more when you get there, with electricity for everything from your tools to your camping gear.
Rated at 210 horsepower and 300 lb-ft of torque, the electric powertrain has more twist than the base V6 engine found in Ford’s current base model truck and is roughly equal in torque to what was found in the old two-valve 4.6L V8, a motor installed in many 12th-gen F-150 pickups.
A big knock against electric-powered vehicles always has been range, especially when compared to a fully fueled gasoline unit. This is especially true for trucks, as they are often more heavily worked than a commuter car. EcoTuned says their truck is good for 100 miles (160 km)when fully charged, a process which takes about seven hours. Range is about 70 miles (115 km).
That’s not a lot, but existing customers are satisfied. Most trucks are deployed in workplaces where distances are short and parking/charging opportunities are ample, such as the pickups used as support vehicles on an airport runway. There is a diesel-fueled cabin heater to warm driver and passenger in winter months, a unit that also warms up the air-cooled batteries when ambient temps are super cold.
Sounds like Ford is already preparing to take on the Tesla pickup. What we don’t know yet is when, but it won’t be until sometime next decade if it gets the green light. In the meantime, Ford is preparing to unleash its first ever pure EV in the form of a Mustang-inspired SUV in 2020, which will be built on Ford’s new modular electric platform. Ford has confirmed it will have a 300-mile range.
A fully electric F-150 would have all the benefits of electric motors: huge amounts of torque delivered instantly, zero local emissions, high reliability, and low servicing costs. Ford also doesn’t want to be unprepared when Tesla would start building its pickup truck around 2021 if that comes to happen.
Ford is making large investments in electric vehicle development, so although this is the first we’ve heard about an electric F-Series, it’s certainly not surprising. The company is also working on a full-electric crossover, and just inked a deal with VW for EV development.
There are still many unknowns, but something we know all too well is that the competition could be fierce. Tesla has announced a truck, and details are nebulous, but the company has a record of fast, long-range EVs. Upstart Rivian has also previewed an electric truck with range up to 400 miles, towing capacity up to 11,000 pounds and a price range between about $70,000 and $90,000.
