If you thought pickup master Ford was just going to lie down in the face of an apparent onslaught of EV trucks from Rivian and Tesla, you thought incorrectly.
The Detroit Free Press is reporting that president of global markets Jim Farley confirmed at the Deutsche Bank Global Automotive Conference in Detroit that Ford will not only be releasing a hybrid F-150 in 2020, but has plans for a full-EV version, too.
“We’re going to be electrifying the F-Series,” said Farley, “Battery electric and Hybrid.” Apparently, the time is right for an EV truck, even if Bob Lutz’s VIA Motors EV trucks have been in operation for going on eight years now. That, of course, is a third-party operator, so chances are Ford is going to have a slightly larger talent pool. Okay, a much larger talent pool to draw from when it comes to developing their truck. Indeed, with Rivian already having shown their R1T at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November (and with Tesla now talking a pickup game, too), if Ford plans to go down this road, it has to happen soon if they don't want to be left behind.
Ford hasn’t confirmed a release date; however, in talking with Ford Canada, we can say that it will likely be after the release of the 2020 Hybrid truck. With Rivian claiming their truck will be ready by Q4 2020, you can bet Ford’s going to want to have their truck on the market no later than 2021.
The bottom line here is that if you thought before that EV power didn’t quite have the capability to function in the mileage-heavy light truck market, this should cause some pause. And, if an EV powertrain can function in said high-mileage and high-stress platforms, you have to think it bodes well for the EV passenger car world, too.
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