Ford Says Electric Super Duty Trucks Aren't Happening

by Matt Posky

November 3rd, 2020 2:02 PM

ford says electric super duty trucks aren t happening

While Ford’s F-150 is slated for electrification, Super Duty versions of the F-Series are not. On Monday, the automaker told industry analysts that HD EVs weren’t in the cards — adding that customers can still expect all-electric versions of the Mach-E “Mustang” and Transit van.

“Our goal is to build a profitable electric vehicle portfolio,” John Lawler, Ford chief financial officer, explained during the forum hosted by Dan Levy of Credit Suisse. “To do that, we need to leverage our strengths and the scale that we have. We’re being very strategic about the platforms that we choose.”

This is a good answer, devoid of the false promises the industry is famous for. Ford has no idea if the electric F-Series is going to be a success and engineering something that’s capable of hauling substantially more weight on battery power alone is a tall and costly order. EV technology is also growing by leaps and bounds, making any bold investments into a platform that could be wildly outclassed in a few years a risky play.

Why bother building a non-competitive HD pickup to a customer base that only cares about whether or not it can haul 35,000 pounds for the entire day? The energy density of modern electric cars simply isn’t there, resulting in a hypothetical pickup that could theoretically haul monstrous loads a relatively short distance before needing to recharge. We doubt such a vehicle was even seriously considered by Ford after it crunched the numbers. Prohibitive development costs combined with gaps in battery technology undoubtedly killed the concept before it got off the ground.

According to the Detroit Free Press, any reasonable doubts to the contrary were removed by Kumar Galhotra, president of Ford Americas and International Markets Group. “At the moment, we do not have any plans to go into heavy duty with battery-electric vehicles,” he said.

That will change the second Ford thinks it’s profitable, however. CEO Jim Farley indicated that the automaker was interested in selling EVs to the commercial market, and not just private sales, during Ford’s third-quarter earnings call. If there’s a sudden leap forward in battery tech that can facilitate heavy-duty work without nullifying range and a customer base to sell to, Ford will probably begin development.

[Image: Ford Motor Co.]

#ElectricPickup #ElectricVehicles #EV #FSeries #F-150 #Ford #FordMotorCo #HDTrucks #HeavyDuty #PickupTrucks #Pickups #Trucks #SuperDuty

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8 of 36 comments

RHD on Nov 04, 2020

Ford needs to dedicate one brand to the electric vehicles, sort of like what GM is doing with Cadillac. Maybe they can bring back Mercury. If it flops, just send it back to the dustbin of history. If it takes off, then pat yourself on the back for having such foresight and daring. Heck, start with an electric Ranchero or Ranger pickup. Price it affordably, put the maximum possible battery in it, and watch them fly off the showroom floor.

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- ThomasSchiffer on Nov 04, 2020
  
  Or EDSEL. The first E could stand for ‘Electric’.
  
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DenverMike on Nov 04, 2020

We're talking about an approx 5,000 lbs battery (the Tesla 3 has a 1,000+ lbs battery) for a net gain of about 4,000. This in a class limited to 14,000 lbs. The EV crew/4X4/Dually F-350 would weigh very close to that limit with the driver.

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- Vulpine on Nov 04, 2020
  
  @DM: Boy, are you off with that one, dude. The Tesla Model 3's battery weighs less than 800#, it's the Model S 100kWh battery that weighs 1,000#. However, those numbers are trending towards lower as newer formulations and manufacturing methods reduce weight, combined with new motors and control systems improve efficiency and power. The newest Model S carries 110kWh in a battery pack no larger than the old 100kWh pack and goes 100 miles farther on a full charge. Now, supposedly the Tesla Cybertruck is going to achieve something like 500 miles of range on somewhere between 120-150kWh of battery while also offering a towing capacity in the 11,000# area. Taking everything into consideration, this means the Cybertruck is going to offer more horsepower and torque than the F-150, even if it doesn't quite rate up to the F-250. But then, there aren't all that many travel trailers that weigh more than 11,000#, even if there are a few. Once things settle down and their REAL capabilities are known, I expect the 250-series and up pickups are going to be relegated to commercial medium-duty tasks and even then may see the electrics run them out of that market as well, over time. Politics aside, I believe the changeover to electric vehicles has reached a tipping point on the Global market which will either force the US OUT of the international market or force them to convert as well, just to reduce costs.
  
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- DenverMike on Nov 04, 2020
  
  @Vulpine It could easily take another decade for battery (size/weight) tech to meet the demands of Class III trucks, which of course need to be loaded Lariat/Laramie/etc (or greater) crew cab 4X4s to make it worthwhile for their respective automakers. Half tons are a different story. They're used extensively as commuters, family sedans, weekend warriors and local, short run commerce/industry/utilities/etc where a 2,000 lbs battery is all it would take, minus the weight of the ICE.
  
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- Vulpine on Nov 04, 2020
  
  @DenverMike There you go again, claiming a highly unrealistic battery weight for the EV truck. Do some research; so far you're 2 for 2 on the wrong side of the equation.
  
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- DenverMike on Nov 04, 2020
  
  @Vulpine There's no getting around the size and weight of the things. Having enormous batteries is the #1 obstacle in the development of EVs that tow 2, 3, 4X their own weight or more. Dollar to Donuts the Tesla semis won't be used for long haul trucking. It's simply not a possibility.
  
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- Vulpine on Nov 05, 2020
  
  @DM: I suggest sitting back and simply wait to see. With at least two versions of the truck in the works, the smaller of the two is obviously meant for regional routes while the larger is obviously meant for hub-to-hub type driving, typical of the major cross-country companies like Roadway, UPS, Hunt, Swift, etc. Where it comes down to independent drivers, you're probably right but corporate entities could easily recognize the advantages of using electric over diesel, especially on mountainous routes.
  
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