- Gasoline extended-range electric large SUVs and trucks are coming, says Ford CEO
- Ford developing body-on-frame platforms with support for multi-energy powertrains
- Reports point to the technology not being ready before 2027
Ford CEO Jim Farley has revealed that the automaker is developing gasoline extended-range powertrains for its large electric SUVs and pickup trucks, following the strategy of other brands like Ram and Volkswagen Group’s newly established Scout Motors.
While outlining Ford’s financial results for the past year during an earnings call held on Feb. 5, Farley said hybrid trucks represent a key growth area and that Ford will be ready with a range of powertrain options, including conventional hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains, as well as gasoline extended-range electric powertrains (EREVs), where a gas engine, once it starts, is used purely to generate electricity to extend the range of an electric vehicle.
“Yes, PHEV, but especially hybrid and EREVs, that on one tank of gas can get over 700 miles of range but still drive most miles all-electric,” he said. “Ford will be developing flexible body-on-frame and unibody platforms that will be designed for these multi-energy powertrains, given the realities of customer affordability and range requirements.”
Farley explained that customers are happy to adopt EVs when it comes to small and midsize vehicles, but for larger SUVs and pickup trucks—where attributes like towing, off-road capability, and long-distance driving, often in remote areas, are important—EVs are proving a hard sell, at least for retail customers. He said commercial buyers are happy to live with large EVs and pay a premium for their large batteries, because they have access to depot charging, as well as a lower total cost of ownership, though this isn’t the case with retail customers.
Jim Farley with the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning
Farley gave no arrival date for the new powertrains, but Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter, reported on Feb. 4 that a launch of an extended-range powertrain in a large Ford SUV or pickup truck won’t happen before 2027. Ford announced last August that it will launch two electric pickup trucks in 2027, one of which will be a successor to the F-150 Lightning, and it’s possible that one or both of the vehicles will have the option of a gasoline range-extender.
Ram will launch an extended-range electric pickup this year in the form of the 2025 1500 Ramcharger. The 1500 Ramcharger, for which order books open in the first half of the year, is expected to deliver 145 miles of electric range on the 92-kwh battery pack, but 690 miles of total range adding the gas V-6.
Volkswagen Group’s new Scout brand will also offer an extended-range electric option for its Terra electric truck and Traveler SUV. Scout’s CEO revealed during January’s 2025 CES event in Las Vegas that most reservations so far have been for the hybrid, citing the lack of charging infrastructure as the reason rather than resistance to EV technology.
Ford has been hinting at its pivot toward hybrids since last August when the automaker said it was curbing investments in EVs and refocusing some of the funds on hybrids. The automaker at the time also said it was canceling plans for a three-row electric SUV that was slated for launch this year.
