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.”
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.]
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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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.
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.