Ford Puts Faith in an Electrified Future With Hybrid Mustang, F-150, 300-Mile EV
Ford Motor Company announced today that it is committing itself fully to the development of electric vehicles, including a hybridized Mustang and F-150 pickup, a small electric crossover, and a fully-autonomous hybrid unit. Company CEO Mark Fields expressed his faith in the future of electric cars and Ford’s intention of bringing 13 new electrified models to the global market within the next five years.
“The era of the electric vehicle is dawning and we at Ford plan to be a leader in this exciting future,” Fields said. “Leading in electrification, in autonomy, and also connectivity are critical as we expand to be both an auto and a mobility company.”
While Ford hasn’t yet had the time to outline the details of each new vehicle, Fields did refer to the hybrid Mustang as having “V8 power,” and said the electrified F-150 could serve as a mobile generator for remote work sites. In fact, most of his electrification talk revolved less around fuel-savings and more around performance benefits — the instant torque available via an electric motor, for example.
Both the Mustang and F-Series hybrids are slated for 2020, with the other vehicles arriving between 2019 and 2021. The first is a Transit Custom plug-in available in 2019, followed by two new pursuit-rated police vehicles. Both of the hybrid squad cars will be outfitted in Chicago and one will be built there as well, most likely indicating there is an electrified Taurus on the horizon.
In addition to the new Mustang, Michigan’s Flat Rock Assembly Plant will also be assembling a BEV crossover — with a 300 mile range — and an autonomous hybrid designed for commercial ride hailing or ride sharing. The self-driving hybrid, scheduled for 2021, is anticipated to forego all traditional controls, lacking a steering wheel, pedals, and any input from the driver.
While all of the new vehicles are part of Ford’s $4.5 billion investment into electrification, Flat Rock is receiving an $700 million to overhaul the factory and add a new manufacturing and innovation center.
There is also money being allocated to develop wireless charging technology for electric vehicles and software to schedule time at approved recharging stations. New York and several other major cities will see Ford test a fleet of twenty Transit Connect electric prototypes and hybrid taxis.
“As more and more consumers around the world become interested in electrified vehicles, Ford is committed to being a leader in providing consumers with a broad range of electrified vehicles, services and solutions that make people’s lives better,” said Fields. “Our investments and expanding lineup reflect our view that global offerings of electrified vehicles will exceed gasoline-powered vehicles within the next 15 years.”
[Image: Ford Motor Company]
Consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulations. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, he has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed about the automotive sector by national broadcasts, participated in a few amateur rallying events, and driven more rental cars than anyone ever should. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and learned to drive by twelve. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer and motorcycles.
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The one thing that no one seems to be noticing is that this pretty much confirms that the next Explorer/Aviator will be RWD based. The current system used in the Fusion and C-Max is just right for what it needs to be but isn't up to being pursuit rated and it doesn't make sense to upgrade all of them to be pursuit rated nor to make a police only version. Meanwhile the system for the F150 will be rated for mid range towing and Mustang performance use so it will just be a matter of calibration. So since the new F150/Mustang system is the one that is suitable for pursuit rating the new Explorer will use than and it must be RWD based.
The Hybrid F150 makes a lot of sense. They have the available payload to take the weight of the battery pack, especially since most truck buyers don't use the full extent of their vehicle's capabilities. Bumping a pickup fleet average from 15-20 mpgs will do way more to lower fuel consumption and save consumers $ than taking a compact from 30-35 mpg, and that's before you account for the 3/4 milion pickups being sold vs half that many cars to spread the savings out over. A few have mentioned government buyers, and I see those eating the hybrid F150s up. My Fire Department uses F150s for most of our inspectors, and they carry almost nothing in them nor do they tow anything, meaning they would have no problem if they lost payload capabilities to battery packs. They do a lot of stop and go driving too, so they could probably see some serious fuel savings. As far as the hybrid mustang goes, although I'm sure it's not likely to happen, I would love to see the hybrid engine paired with a manual and a lower power 4 cylinder (like the 1.6 or 2.0). There is a lack of affordable rwd fuel efficient sporty cars on the market. A Mustang that could average 30-35 mpg combined would be awesome.