Want a big Ford pickup to pull a big RV? Great, if you’re in the market for gas or diesel. But those looking to have an e-pickup from the Blue Oval company are in for disappointment. On Wednesday, February 5, Ford CEO Jim Farley essentially put the brakes on the average customers hoping for heavy-duty Ford e-pickups.
The news came from Farley as he reported on Ford’s fourth-quarter 2024 earnings call. You can see a transcript of his comments here. While Ford looks to focus on mid-size and smaller pickups for electrification, the company says bigger trucks just aren’t feasible.
Ford e-pickups—”the economics are unresolvable”
“For larger retail, electric utilities, the economics are unresolvable,” Farley said. “These customers have very demanding use cases for an electric vehicle. They tow, they go off-road, they take long road trips. These vehicles have worse aerodynamics and they’re very heavy, which means very large and expensive batteries.”
Ford later clarified that mid-size all-electrics are still in the company plan. But big trucks need a very big battery, and come with big headaches. One such headache comes from Ford customers themselves. “Retail customers have shown that they will not pay any premium for these large EVs, making them a really tough business case,” Farley said.
Witness the prices Ford competitors have run up for their E-trucks. The non-work-truck version of the 2025 Chevy Silverado EV starts at around $70,000, before destination charges and fees. The Tesla Cybertruck—even if it were useful for RV towing—is priced from $79,990. And the GMC Sierra EV begins at $92,000. These vehicles feature large battery packs—up to 212 kWh on the GMC Hummer EV—but suffer from poor real-world efficiency.
Company focuses on hybrids and extended-range heavy duty pickups
What’s to be done? Ford sees profitability for large family vehicles coming from plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), hybrids, and extended-range electric vehicles (EREVs). These can get more than 700 miles on a single tank of gas while still driving most miles on electric power, according to the automaker.
Ford plans to take a unique approach with its large SUVs and trucks. As to Ford e-pickups, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday the company is focusing on EREVs—vehicles with an electric powertrain like traditional battery-electric vehicles, but with a gas-powered generator for backup. The generator recharges the battery, but the e-motors always drive the wheels.
Ford e-pickups? The company hasn’t given up on heavy-duty e-trucks. But it says they make sense only for commercial customers: those outfits who can charge electric delivery vans and work trucks at depots and don’t experience the same range anxiety as retail customers. Commercial buyers tend to avoid over-buying batteries, focusing on their specific use cases. Small- and medium-sized trucks and SUVs, which require lower-cost batteries and suit daily commuting, are the ideal fit for pure EVs.
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I guess everyone else’s keyboards have spilled sodas..beer, or their cat will not move over, and I am the only one out here.
So see-ya, and everyone take care and hope for lower fuel and campground prices.
It’s tough to get a raise when a person is self employed at being retired..
Later!……………………..
I’m here, David.🙄 I guess all our readers are otherwise-occupied, or just don’t have anything to say at the moment. So, where were you today when they were commenting, huh?🤔 Have a good night. 😀 –Diane at RVtravel.com
How did he get this article 18 hours ago, when I didn’t get until just over an hour ago ??
Hi, Bill. It was actually published at 5:02 yesterday, so it was available on our homepage at rvtravel.com. David must have seen it there, before it went out in today’s RSS feed. Have a good evening/night. 😀 –Diane
I’m kind of confused on what David was ranting about. It is almost like he posted a comment previously that didn’t go up or something and he is the only one that could read it? Don’t get it.
Ford’s electric vehicle ideas make a lot of sense to me. If I were to buy an electric truck (or any electric vehicle) in the near term, it would would be a hybrid or an EREV. The EREV is something I hadn’t heard about before this.
I have a ’22 F150 Powerboost hybrid. It’s a game changer for this full-timer.
Thank you, Russ and Tina, for the newsy article! Lots here and interesting that Ford understands that if they can’t sell it, then it is pointless to build it. Have a great weekend and safe travels!
Isn’t that the truth.
I’m not interested in a Plug In Hybrid (PHEV). I like Hybrid Vehicles (HEV). It’s not just electric vehicles thats prices are high. All vehicles, especially pickup trucks are high. Not sure if it’s because of the auto union members high wages or what. Then if you want a F150 with automatic 4wd you have to buy the expensive Lariat model or higher trims.
People can thank “you know who” for steel tariffs that drove up prices on anything made from metal.Like it or not…it looks like it may happen again.
Physics and economics are great reality checks. Ford won’t produce something that is far worse in utility and that costs more because they know customers won’t buy them. Hybrids make far more sense for now.
I love this idea! Check out Edision Motors in Canada, they are developing a “drop in” diesel-electric powertrain for pickups.