Ford Ranger PHEV Launches Without Trade-Oriented Configurations

The all-new Ford Ranger PHEV debuted back in September 2023 as the very first electrified version of the mid-size pickup, but it was just this past February when the full specs and other information arrived as it pertains to the Australian market – followed by pricing a month later. Given the capability of the Ford Ranger PHEV, one may assume that it would make a perfect fleet vehicle as well, one that commercial customers could upfit in various ways to suit their needs. However, that isn’t exactly the case, it seems.

Rather, according to CarExpert, Ford is telling consumers not to consider purchasing a Ranger PHEV and replacing its bed with something like a steel tray or canopy, a question that came up given the fact that it won’t be selling that pickup in single cab or two-wheel drive configurations, which are popular among fleets. Rather, the Ford Ranger PHEV is only offered in SuperCrew guise with four-wheel drive, along with four trims – XLT, Sport, Wildtrak, and Stormtrak.

In terms of swapping out the bed of the Ranger PHEV, chief program engineer Phil Millar said that “at this point, we’re not recommending you do that. There’s a number of critical features under the vehicle that are protected by the tub, as well as the fueling system, the integrated high-voltage system, a whole raft of critical components in the back. There’s other integrated systems like a… fuel vapor recovery system. There could be long periods of time running that [internal combustion engine], building up vapor in the system. So it’s got a locking fuel door, which then, when run off the fuel door button inside, which is unique to PHEV, allows the system to vent.”

Interestingly, the PHEV’s 11.8 kWh battery is actually mounted to the chassis rails under the bed, but that doesn’t mean one should go and replace it. “It’s mounted on the chassis. If you see underneath, the battery’s got an aluminum casing with in-built cooling channels at the bottom of the casing, and that’s mounted up and on top of the spare wheel,” Millar added. On top of that, owners could face warranty issues if they opt to ignore this advice.

“From a warranty perspective… if the issue or fault is incurred because of something that the customer did that is not recommended, then that warranty is not paid out,” said Ford Australia marketing director Ambrose Henderson. “But if something happened at the front and it’s not related, then it’s still covered by the warranty. So it’s about whether it was directly related or not.”