Electric Ford F-150's shocking secret revealed
Ford is working on an electric F-150 pickup that will be going on sale in a couple of years, but its powertrain isn't the only thing that makes it special. A prototype spotted on public roads reveals it may also have a fully-independent suspension.
Previously announced plans for hybrid and electric versions of the Ford F-150 have been reconfirmed in the text of the recently ratified UAW contract with Ford, which also revealed more battery-powered models that are in the works.
The electrified F-150s look set to be added when the all-new version of Ford’s best-seller arrives next year as a 2021 model. Ford has released video of a prototype electric F-150 towing a train and disguised prototypes of conventional trucks have been spotted being tested on public roads.
According to The Detroit News, the hybrid and electric F-150s will be built exclusively at Ford’s Dearborn Truck Plant alongside conventional trucks. Additional F-150 models will also continue to be manufactured at its Kansas City Assembly Plant.
The Expedition is currently available only with a turbocharged V6. (Ford)
Ford’s global product director of electric vehicles, Darren Palmer, told Fox News Autos that the F-150 will use the same battery technology as the Mustang Mach-E utility vehicle.
The contract also notes that all-new versions of the Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator are in the works and will feature hybrid versions. The full-size SUVs share much of their architecture with the F-150, so this doesn’t come as much of a surprise.
There’s no word yet on what type of hybrid powertrain the big trucks will use, but they share a 10-speed transmission with the Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator hybrids.
The Explorer’s is rated at 318 hp and 322 lb-ft of torque, while the Aviator’s plug-in set up puts out 494 hp and 630 lb-ft of torque, which makes it more powerful than any current F-150 gasoline engine. Aviator chief engineer John Davis told Fox News Autos in 2018 that it would “make sense” that the powertrain would be shared with other models in the future.
Missing from the new products list is mention of a hybrid version of the next-generation Ranger pickup and upcoming Bronco SUV. Last year, Ford president Joe Hinrichs told Fox News Autos that all of its future trucks would offer a hybrid model.
General Motors' new contract with the UAW also includes electric truck production at its Detroit-Hamtramck factory.