Bill Ford Envisions a Trunk in the Front, a Bed in the Back

Despite the amount of electric vehicle hype soaking today’s society, Ford’s upcoming electric F-150 pickup remains shrouded with mystery. What kind of power can customers expect? Range? Payload? Towing capacity? There’s few details of this looming creature, and even fewer details of General Motors’ EV pickup.

What’s left is enthusiasm from the Glass House and come-down-to-earth predictions from auto analysts.

Speaking to Reuters, Ford Chairman Bill Ford salivated at the thought of an engineless F-150, musing that the replacement of a bulky internal combustion engine and associated cooling system with a compact, low-mounted electric motor would free up cargo space under the hood. Like a bed box, but even better concealed.

“This is going to be a real watershed for the whole industry,” he said of the product, expected to bow “not too far” after next year’s F-150 hybrid. As for the powertrain layout, Ford hinted at a front-end trunk with his comment, “You pick up all that extra space where the engine compartment has been.”

Trucks are meant to be versatile, and wasted space doesn’t do a vehicle any marketing favors. Certainly, electric powertrains are known for instant torque — a plus for any hard-working truck owner — while the energy contained within the vehicle’s sizeable battery could be put to work on a worksite, powering any number of tools or lights. However, the price needed to make the F-150 EV viable will likely make it a much more common sight in public works yards in progressive jurisdictions than in private fleets. For regular laborers, Chevrolet’s Silverado Work Truck, Ram’s 1500 Tradesman, and Ford’s F-150 XL will continue to dominate the construction and landscaping scene.

Recently, IHS Markit predicted that by 2025 the take rate for EVs in the U.S. will rise from the 2 percent forecasted for 2020 to seven percent. The overwhelming bulk of these vehicle will be traditional cars and crossovers. Among full-size pickups, electric propulsion will make up just 30,000 vehicles in 2026, IHS predicted. That’s a 1.3-percent cut of the segment.

And yet Ford isn’t daunted, preferring to get out ahead of challengers rising from an increasing number of corners. The F-150 EV is expected to reach customers by early 2022, official sources claim, around the same time as Tesla’s much-hyped (but inherently uncertain) pickup and GM’s shadowy offering. The electric vehicle upstart Rivian, a partner of Ford’s, aims to have its R1T pickup in buyers’ hands by late 2020.

[Images: Ford]