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

Steph Willems
by Steph Willems

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]

Steph Willems
Steph Willems

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  • Akear Akear on Sep 14, 2019

    Bill Ford's legacy is hiring the ineffective Hackett.

  • Imagefont Imagefont on Sep 15, 2019

    Just more nonsense. Bill Ford is an idiot, they will never build a pure EV pickup. You’ll be lucky to see an aggressive hybrid pickup from Ford at a ridiculous asking price that will ensure failure. And Rivian, the money laundering scheme, will never build anything, certainly NOT a consumer EV pickup truck. Expect regular postponements of production for the R1T with never ending creative excuses, all of them lies.

  • 3-On-The-Tree 4cyl as well.
  • Luke42 I want more information about Ford’s Project T3.The Silverado EV needs some competition beyond just the Rivian truck. The Cybertruck has missed the mark.The Cybertruck is special in that it’s the first time Tesla has introduced an uncompetitive EV. I hope the company learns from their mistakes. While Tesla is learning what they did wrong, I’ll be shopping to replace my GMC Sierra Hybrid with a Chevy, a Ford, or a Rivian — all while happily driving my Model Y.
  • 3-On-The-Tree I wished they wouldn’t go to the twin turbo V6. That’s why I bought a 2021 Tundra V8.
  • Oberkanone My grid hurts!Good luck with installing charger locations at leased locations with aging infrastructure. Perhaps USPS would have better start modernizing it's Post offices to meet future needs. Of course, USPS has no money for anything.
  • Dukeisduke If it's going to be a turbo 4-cylinder like the new Tacoma, I'll pass.BTW, I see lots of Tacomas on the road (mine is a 2013), but I haven't seen any 4th-gen trucks yet.
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