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.
Comments
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.
For those of you that think it’s okay that the government is forcing electric cars on us because you think it is better in terms of “no pollution” or “cheaper” or whatever the case may be you are wrong. First of all, diesel and gas powered cars have been pushed for decades in to engineering more efficient and less polluting cars and they have so more now than ever. Especially the diesel with the DEF system it hardly pollutes at all. Second, California has more electric cars and have invested more in to renewables than any other state and California couldn’t even power everyone’s air conditioning all summer long as a result of rolling blackouts because they simply do not have the GRID anymore so imagine if all cars were to go electric. Third, google a lithium mine and also where do you think all of these batteries will be disposed? These electric cars still require fossil fuels to make whether it be from plastic, the tires or even the roads that you drive on. Electric cars use MORE energy and I won’t even get in to the economic toll it will take on us by losing millions of jobs whether it be from the fossil fuels industry directly or indirectly such as gas stations, service shops, mechanic shops, fuel business in general, parts, laborers, factory’s etc. etc. Or the toll all of this will have on tax revenue or circulation in our economy in general. I am all for electric car options and the free market but for the government to ban gas and diesel powered cars is fantasy land and completely out of touch especially with people that would not be able to work without a gas or diesel powered car such as heavy hauler’s and long hauler’s or people that work in very remote areas that can’t rely on charging stations not to mention the overall lack of understanding of how much energy is used with a lot of big trucks and equipment that batteries simply can not make up for no matter how advanced they get. Some things are better left alone and the government definitely should have no place in any of this. Before you know it they will start taxing or charging you to keep your electric car charged and then after that they will deem it an envoirmental hazard as well because of the damage done to the earth extracting lithium or the chemicals and build up of batteries that are no longer being utilized. The climate is bigger than we are and will do what it wants like it has done since the beginning of time and switching from a powerstroke to a tesla isn’t going to matter. There is a point where technology and innovation can become counterproductive just like the government can.