Ford CEO Mark Fields: Hybrid F-150 Will Be Here By 2020
Ford will have a rear-wheel drive, hybrid F-150 truck by the end of the decade, Ford CEO Mark Fields told NPR on Tuesday.
“Well, we do have plans to have a rear-wheel drive hybrid truck but the end of the decade. So yes, we’re working on electrified F-series, and it’s really around a conventional hybrid,” Fields said during an interview.
The automaker announced earlier this month that it would invest $4.5 billion in electrification and will unveil a refreshed hybrid Fusion at the North American International Auto Show next month as part of that plan. The hybridized, full-size pickup will arrive by 2020, although the automaker doesn’t plan on total market domination for the truck — at least right now.
“Well, it’s a big challenge right now, obviously, because where the cost of a gallon of gas is, (buying a hybrid car is) not a very good financial decision by the consumer. But part of our job as a company and as an automotive manufacturer and now as a mobility company, is to think of what the world is going to look like five, 10 and even 15 years from now,” Fields told NPR.
The CEO said the market for hybrid cars is admittedly very small — about 2.5 percent of the total market, according to Fields.
Fields offered few details about the truck, other than to say it would be rear-wheel drive and would be a conventional hybrid. It’s unclear if the truck will go on sale, or be an engineering study for the automaker. A spokesman for Ford didn’t immediately comment on the announcement by Fields.
Toyota is widely considered to be working on a hybrid pickup to bring to market soon. The two automakers had an agreement to work together on hybrid technology that ultimately fell apart (Autoweek’s story about the sour relationship is here).
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The hybrid F-150 will come standard with au naturale (i.e. unshaven) truck nutz attached to the hitch & a neckbeard air freshener.
The Hybrid F150 will do alright assuming that the premium for the Hybrid power train is similar to that on the Fusion. Of course it needs to be available on a range of trims from fleet to top of the line. Many fleets will buy them like crazy. Many agencies have policies that require an ever increasing percentage of "AFV"s and/or give preference/mandate that an AFV is purchased if a suitable one is available. That is a big reason why the big 3 offer at least 1 FFV powertrain option in their 1/2 tons. It doesn't need to have a super high towing capacity. Most of the typical fleet uses never tow a trailer. Many of those that do tow a trailer are usually pretty light. The typical uses for a trailer are a small landscaping trailer, the message board signs and things like that. If the use case is towing big loads then most agencies use a 3/4 or 1 ton. Give it a ~2000lb payload and a 5~6K and that will be good enough to win a significant number of customers. They do need to offer a "work truck" option package with a robust 120v outlet for powering tools, lights ect. For many govt fleet uses the fuel savings vs having a truck idling all day long will be significant. Ford hybrids have a good reputation among fleet users who have had good experience with Escape, Fusion and C-Max Hybrids.