Ford Plans To Bring Ranger Plug-In Hybrid Pickup To Market, Soon

Ford may be planning to bring an all new plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicle to the US market by sometime next year, following or perhaps prior to its release in Australia. That vehicle would be the Ford Ranger PHEV, a category of electrified vehicle that presently has no models on sale in the US market which means Ford would have the market to itself, if it decides to sell it here.

I’m not sure if this new Ranger PHEV model from Ford would be wildly successful or a disappointment, and I say that because if Ford actually manages to bring a PHEV Ranger to market by sometime next year, and assuming Ford can actually make enough of them to meet demand, it could potentially rewrite the standings in the midsize pickup sales battle. I have doubts that Ford could produce this vehicle in large quantities though, and that’s why I say it could be a disappointment. Ford needs to be serious about this PHEV pickup, if it is going to bring it to the US market, and I mean that from a perspective of meeting demand but also creating it. Ford needs to deliver an extremely appealing product, not an afterthought, if it wants truck buyers to queue up and pay top dollar for what would, almost certainly, be one of the most expensive midsize pickup models on offer. None of Ford’s competitors would have an answer for it for at least a few years, and Ford would likely sell all it could make without much marketing. That is especially true if Ford could also offer a “bare bones” work truck version for fleet and commercial buyers (something costing under $40k). But if Ford only produces them in small amounts, if anxious customers have to wait more than a few months to get them, and they offer unimpressive range, power, or efficiency, Ford would squander an opportunity to corner the market, initially.

Regardless of whether Ford is going to bring many tens of thousands of PHEV Rangers to market annually or not, what do we know about this vaporware mid-sized PHEV pickup and what might we anticipate from it, spec and performance wise, once it goes on sale? Thanks to sites like Drive.com.au and others that followed on, we know a little bit about this potential, or perhaps probable, US bound PHEV. It is expected to use Ford’s 2.3 liter turbocharged, inline EcoBoost 4-cylinder engine in combination with one or more electric motors and a sizable plug-in hybrid battery. How big the battery is, how powerful the electric motors might be, how far it can go on a charge, and what its efficiency might be are all unknowns at this time. But we might make some semi-educated guesses by looking at Ford's only other PHEV currently on sale in the US, the Escape PHEV. The Escape has a 14.4 kWh battery and an EPA estimated range of about 37 miles on a full charge along with a combined 105 MPG equivalent (MPGe), making it one of the most efficient SUVs with a plug one can buy. In the larger, less aerodynamic and heavier Ranger, which we might estimate would weigh at least 1,000 lbs more, but could easily be1,500 pounds heavier, or more, if the same battery were used, 30% or less less range and efficiency may be a realistic estimate. That works out to only around 26 miles of EV range and perhaps upper 60’s MPGe (and I’ll suggest about 25 MPG when running in hybrid mode). Would that be appealing to consumers? It may well be, though, if Ford manages to improve efficiency (via aerodynamic tweaks, or light weighting - which would also help towing capacity) and or add more batteries. Doing so should be feasible given the stouter and more spacious chassis of the Ranger. It could also easily reach 30 miles of range or better if it had at least 16 kWh of usable battery capacity (which means the battery would be closer to 20 kWh with about 4 kWh kept in reserve). And if Ford wanted to set the bar high, they may opt for a 20 kWh usable capacity, which would enable 40+ miles of range on a full charge.

What do you think, potential truck buyer? Would a PHEV mid-sized pick up, with its ability to significantly lower your fuel bills while offering much lower emissions (if routinely plugged in) without sacrificing power, range, towing capability, or the ease of more traditional long distance travel be of interest? Please leave your questions and comments below.

Computer-generated image courtesy of Ford.

Justin Hart has owned and driven electric vehicles for over 15 years, including a first generation Nissan LEAF, second generation Chevy Volt, Tesla Model 3, an electric bicycle and most recently a Kia Sorento PHEV. He is also an avid SUP rider, poet, photographer and wine lover. He enjoys taking long EV and PHEV road trips to beautiful and serene places with the people he loves. Follow Justin on Twitter for daily KIA EV news coverage.