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2021 Ford F-150 PHEV “Electric Range Will Probably Exceed 10 Miles”

It’s been years since Ford announced it’s going to electrify the F-150 pickup truck. The Blue Oval wanted to hybridize the F-Series with the help of Toyota as early as 2011, but as we all know, that plan didn’t work out.
2021 Ford F-150 engine options 20 photos
Photo: Rusty via newf150forum.com
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Fast-forward to 2014, and that’s when Raj Nair – the former head of global product development – told the Detroit Free Press that the F-150 Hybrid is under development. Another confirmation followed in 2015 from previous chief exec Mark Fields, then Nair made an interesting comment.

When asked if the workhorse will be driveable on electric power alone, the official replied that “it’s a regular hybrid as well,” referring to the Mustang Hybrid that's been confirmed by Nair with an EcoBoost-type turbo engine. Now’s the time to fast-forward to 2019 when Jim Farley, the president of global markets, made it clear that the F-150 will be offered with battery electric and hybridoptions.

Notice how plug-in hybrid has never been mentioned by the Ford Motor Company since the Blue Oval started to develop electrified powertrains for the F-Series. Car & Driver, however, has recently published a report that includes the following line: “The first plug-in hybrid in the half-ton truck market.”

Featured in the May 2020 issue of Car & Driver, the report goes on to explain that an electric motor is “sandwiched between a turbo V6 and a 10-speed auto. Electric range will probably exceed 10 miles but only when commuting unladen.” As you can tell, there’s something a little bit fishy going on here.

Ford has repeatedly denied EV Mode for the F-150 Hybrid, never mentioned the F-150 PHEV, and there’s another thing that needs to be highlighted. Pictured as the lead photo of this story, a leaked document with the powertrains of the 2021 model year lists the hybrid as “3.5L HEV V-6.” Those three letters stand for Hybrid Electric Vehicle, not a plug-in hybrid.

The displacement of the V6 is a clear indicator that we’re dealing with the larger of the two EcoBoosts, an engine that’s been proven to 710 PS (700 horsepower) in the GT Mk II track-only supercar.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
Mircea Panait profile photo

After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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