As part of their new strategy for more electric vehicles, Ford is going to be producing an electric F-150.
The electric F-150 will be Ford’s second EV following the Mach E crossover. According to Automotive News Canada, it could come as early as 2021. There will also be a hybrid version that’s set to come out next year.
“After years of heavy investment and one forgettable attempt, Ford Motor Co. has yet to deliver a serious battery-electric vehicle.
That will change in 2020 with the introduction of Ford's first long-range EV, a Mustang-inspired crossover expected to be called Mach E. That will be followed as soon as a year later by a full-electric F-150, with two midsize EV crossovers on tap for late 2022.”
Ford initially announced plans for the electric F-150 back at the 2019 Detroit Auto Show.
Since then Ford hasn’t revealed much in terms of specs. However, according to Reuters, “Ford’s electric truck will be built on a company EV platform separate from the vehicles it will offer later on a Rivian platform.”
Rivian is an electric truck startup that plans to produce electric pickups and SUVs. Ford invested $500 million in the company back in April.
“This is going to be a real watershed for the whole industry,” Ford Chairman Bill Ford told Reuters.
“You pick up all that extra space where the engine compartment has been,” Ford said. An electric F-Series could be a work truck - with its batteries functioning as a job site power source, he said. And it could be positioned as a high-performance vehicle next to the gas-fueled, 450 horsepower Raptor pickup truck.”
As a way to generate buzz around the electric F-150, Ford released a video of a prototype towing 10 rail cars loaded with 42 F-150s, weighing over 1 million pounds.
There have also been spy photos of the prototype undergoing some testing. Ford has added a fake exhaust as a way to disguise it.
I found some other key points about the Mach E all summarized which is enough information to hold us through till the November launch.
What is it?
In January 2018, Ford announced it will launch a new electric crossover that will be inspired by the Mustang. It was then revealed it could be called Mach1 but the marque’s fans reacted negatively and forced Ford to rethink its decision. Not much else is known officially but spy photos and renderings provide a good preview of what to expect. Also, it was confirmed Lincoln will get its own version of the EV but it will probably feature a vastly different shape.
What does it look like?
Our exclusive rendering suggests the Mustang-inspired SUV will have a sleek and sporty profile, indeed heavily inspired by the sports car. However, spy photos of a prototype wearing a production body hinted the overall shape will be a bit boxier with a long front overhang and a short rear overhang.
The camouflaged test car didn’t allow us to take a proper look at the final lines but at least we know the basic dimensions of the vehicle and, as far as we can tell, it is going to be roughly the same size as today’s Ford Edge.
What’s under the hood?
That’s a tricky question. All we know for sure it that there’s going to be an all-electric powertrain underneath the skin. We assume Ford will give the model a dual-motor layout for an all-wheel-drive capability but that’s not confirmed at this point.
What Ford has already announced is that the SUV EV will be capable of covering more than 300 miles (484 kilometers) on a single charge. Roadshow discovered that a European site detailing Ford’s upcoming EVs for the market lists the model with 370 miles (595 km) of range but that’s based on WLTP estimates. A performance version could also be in the cards.
When we will see it?
That’s complicated, too. It is widely believed that Ford will show some kind of preview of the model next month and a recent report speculated we might see a concept or even the production vehicle at this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show. Ford hasn’t confirmed the reports only saying it “no news to share about any LA Auto Show plans.”
The UAW has confirmed that there will be electric and hybrid versions of the F-150. They released a breakdown of their deal with Ford and out of Ford's proposed $6 billion investment, $700 million will go to the Dearborn plant for F-150 hybrid, EV, and the Raptor.
I'm going to be tuning in for sure online to see what it looks like. It seems like Tesla is going to go with a futuristic look for this truck which is interesting.
I'm going to be tuning in for sure online to see what it looks like. It seems like Tesla is going to go with a futuristic look for this truck which is interesting.
Here's something juicy, a patent from Ford for a body-on-frame platform (obviously the next F-150).
This new frame includes additional cross-members and a bottom plate to house the batteries compactly. Reading through the really complicated patent filing I did find a few interesting things.
While the diagram shows two electric motors, Ford says they could use up to 4 (one to power each wheel individually).
The way the crossmembers work, they allow the batteries to live in physically separate parts of the frame.
I'll call out this quote
"The added shear strength and structural stiffness provided by the bottom plate and center cross members can also permit the gauge or wall thickness of the left and right frame rails to be reduced from that of a typical body-on-frame vehicle."
In other words, this design allows for lighter main rails, cutting both cost and weight. Ford also claims this will help improve sound deadening.
Here's something juicy, a patent from Ford for a body-on-frame platform (obviously the next F-150).
This new frame includes additional cross-members and a bottom plate to house the batteries compactly. Reading through the really complicated patent filing I did find a few interesting things.
While the diagram shows two electric motors, Ford says they could use up to 4 (one to power each wheel individually).
The way the crossmembers work, they allow the batteries to live in physically separate parts of the frame.
I'll call out this quote
"The added shear strength and structural stiffness provided by the bottom plate and center cross members can also permit the gauge or wall thickness of the left and right frame rails to be reduced from that of a typical body-on-frame vehicle."
In other words, this design allows for lighter main rails, cutting both cost and weight. Ford also claims this will help improve sound deadening.
That is a really interesting find! If they claim that they can use up to 4 electric motors, that could mean that Rivian is getting involved since their vehicles use 4 motors. If so, that's very exciting news.
This is an interesting from Drivable Designs that tries to draw out what the electric F-150 will look like. The drawing is based on the spy photos that have come out so far.
