Brett Foote
The electric pickup market is shaping up to be a competitive one, with the Ford F-150 EV set to do battle with the Tesla Cybertruck, Rivian R1T, Lordstown Motors Endurance, GMC Hummer EV, and Nikola Badger over the course of the next year or two. So it’s worth asking – is Ford also planning on adding an electric Super Duty pickup to its lineup as well? However, it appears that the answer to that question is a no, at least for now.
“At the moment, we do not have any plans to go into heavy duty with battery-electric vehicles,” said Kumar Galhotra, Ford Motor Company Vice President and President of the North American region, during a forum hosted by Dan Levy of Credit Suisse.
That comment would seemingly rule out an electric Super Duty altogether, as that segment of the Ford F-Series lineup is indeed classified as heavy duty, as the trucks weigh in excess of 8,500 pounds. The Ford F-150, meanwhile, is classified as a light duty pickup, as it tips the scales at less than 8,500 pounds.
“Our goal is to build a profitable electric vehicle portfolio,” John Lawler, Ford’s chief financial officer, added. “To do that, we need to leverage our strengths and the scale that we have. We’re being very strategic about the platforms that we choose.”
Lawler also noted that Ford’s future electric trucks and commercial vehicles will be built on platforms they’ll share with their ICE-powered counterparts, “so you get the benefit of some scale there.” This includes the electric F-150 and Ford E-Transit. Meanwhile, the Ford Mustang Mach-E rides on its own dedicated platform, and is a ground-up design.
Both the F-150 EV and E-Transit are scheduled to launch in mid-2022. The electric F-150 will be built at the brand new Ford Rouge Electric Vehicle Center, which is slated to open in the summer of 2021, though body and paintwork will still be completed at the Ford Dearborn Truck Plant.
We’ll have more on Ford’s electric future very soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford F-Series news, Ford Super Duty news, and continuous Ford news coverage.
Almost every Super Duty is classified as a medium duty truck. Only the F-750 (and maybe the 650?) get up to Class 7 (start of heavy duty range). Unless there is some more context around the CFOs comments, this would not rule out all Super Duties from electrification.
As a side note, DOT classification is based on GVRW, not curb weight.
Why not? The prototype electric F-150 pulled 1.2 million pounds, so the electric power train can comply for Super Duty jobs easily .
GOOD!
Ford knows that battery-powered trucks are a trend pushed on us by the left. Our government is creating a market segment that wouldn’t otherwise exist. If EV trucks were a viable product, they would’ve been popular back in the early 1900s when EVs were first introduced. We’d also have an infrastructure to support it.
With their hand forced, Ford has decided to enter an electrified F-150 in hopes of gaining some early market share in this iffy segment.
One million-pound trains aside, battery efficiency will need to double for there to be a pickup capable of towing and hauling what a fossil fuel-powered truck can do over time. You’ll be recharging that fully loaded EV halfway into your haul.
Don’t blame the government for the push for EVs, I a big fan of 7.0-liter V8 gasoline engine, blame it on areas with high population densities, ever been to Americas biggest cities lately? it would be great if the automakers can build a 7.0-liter gasoline engine that doesn’t pollute at all. Battery efficiency will improve exponentially in the next few years.
It’s a good idea not to build it, since they already charge Mercedes Benz S-Class money for a fully loaded diesel powered F450 Limited, they would have to charge Mercedes-Maybach money for this vehicle to make it profitable.