By James Raia
Super Duty Trucks add to Ford’s lineup of top-selling vehicles, and the carmaker is continually expanding its electric vehicle market. But there’s an exception – it won’t offer battery power to its strongest vehicles anytime soon.
Kumar Galhotra, Ford’s president, Americas and International Markets Group, said “no” when asked in a recent interview about the possibility of Ford expanding its pending EV lineup to its most powerful trucks.
According to the Detroit Free Press, Galhotra slightly elaborated, saying the automaker doesn’t have plans “at the moment” for its electric Super Duty offerings.
Ford Super Duty trucks: No EVs
Ford Super Duty trucks feature heavier chassis and suspension components than the F-150, allowing for higher payload and towing capacities.
The company will continue to grow its EV stable, according to Jim Farley, Ford’s new CEO.
The plan for the next decade will include introducing affordable Ford EVs for consumers and commercial clients, just not among its largest trucks.
The E-Transit, a battery-electric version of Ford’s popular Transit commercial van, debuts in mid-November.
According to the manufacturer, the battery-electric version of the Ford F-150 pickup truck will have a lifetime cost of ownership roughly half of the current gas-powered model. It also will include a large front trunk in place of an engine.
Ford executives believe the company’s future will include dual-purpose platformed vehicles. The F-150 can handle an internal-combustion engine and a battery-electric powertrain.
The Mustang Mach-E, a single-purpose platform, will be Ford’s first EV. It’s scheduled to launch by the end of 2020.
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James Raia, a syndicated columnist in Sacramento, California, publishes a free weekly automotive podcast and electronic newsletter. Sign-ups are available on his website, www.theweeklydriver.com. He can be reached via email: james@jamesraia.com.
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I hope Ford realizes the public’s affinity for a truck with built-in electrical capacity to power necessary home appliances and lights during a black out. Great for camping, great for crisis. And, if they could find an efficient way to incorporate that ability into the diesels, so much the better.
Big trucks get 10 mpg for a reason: they’re big. As in heavy. And physics says it takes a lot of energy to move heavy things. Battery technology has a long way to go before big trucks can haul/tow big things long distances–that last being crucial to the RV market.
There is a good example of why EVs can’t handle the job of towing, it’s on you tube channel Fast Lane Car where they took a Tesla that was rated to tow 5000 lbs and hooked an off road type camper trailer that weighed less than the 5000lbs and started on a trip from Boulder, CO to Portland, OR. They didn’t make it very far before they had to call back to the office for a backup truck to come to their rescue so they could barely make it to the next charging station. It seems that the EV uses a lot of battery power driving through the mountains, I guess if you buy an EV to tow that means only downhill. As I’ve been saying for the last few years, EVs are good commuter cars that never get more than 20 miles from home, but never buy one for everyday use like you would use your gasoline powered vehicle.