Photo: Stefan Baldauf/SB-Medien
It's really hard to overstate how important the F-150 model is for Ford. With nearly 900,000 units sold last year, the F-Series range is the best-selling vehicle in the USA, and has been for many years.
Ford is keen to continue that tradition, but to do that it'll have to keep up with the times. Like it or not, right now that means offering an electric option - be it a hybrid, a plug-in hybrid, or a full-bore battery-powered version. The company decided to skip straight to the latter, which is why we've had an all-electric F-150 prototype driving around for the past months.
Ford has already launched an EV push with the Mustang Mach-E, a battery-powered SUV/crossover thingy with more than decent characteristics and a reasonable price. It is the first Ford EV built from the ground up and it shows the company is only lagging significantly behind the likes of Tesla, but not so much the rest of the legacy manufacturers.
However, it's precisely Tesla the new electric F-150 will have to battle once it'll come to market, and it's not going to be easy. Sure, traditional F-150 buyers who, for some reason, might give electricity a chance, will undoubtedly remain faithful to the brand, but gaining new customers should prove difficult Tesla manages to deliver on the Cybertruck promise.
But Ford shows determination, and that's the first step toward success. Speaking to CNBC, Jim Farley, the company's Chief Operating Officer (COO), put things very clearly: “We are No. 1 in the pickup and the van market in Western Europe and the U.S., and this is our chance,” he said. “We are electrifying and we’re a brand people trust.”
According to Farley, the plan is to have electric versions for both the F-150 pickup truck and the Transit van up and running by mid-2022. That leaves Ford two short years to come up with a pair of vehicles that will face increasing competition: Rivian, Nikola, and even GM intend to launch similar vehicles with roughly the same time plan.
Yesterday, Ford announced a partnership with Volkswagen for the joint development of various projects, including EVs and commercial vehicles, which should ease the burden on both companies. In the meantime, the redesign of the F-150 is scheduled for release next month, and so is the big relaunch of the Bronco SUV - it's a busy time over at Ford.
Ford has already launched an EV push with the Mustang Mach-E, a battery-powered SUV/crossover thingy with more than decent characteristics and a reasonable price. It is the first Ford EV built from the ground up and it shows the company is only lagging significantly behind the likes of Tesla, but not so much the rest of the legacy manufacturers.
However, it's precisely Tesla the new electric F-150 will have to battle once it'll come to market, and it's not going to be easy. Sure, traditional F-150 buyers who, for some reason, might give electricity a chance, will undoubtedly remain faithful to the brand, but gaining new customers should prove difficult Tesla manages to deliver on the Cybertruck promise.
But Ford shows determination, and that's the first step toward success. Speaking to CNBC, Jim Farley, the company's Chief Operating Officer (COO), put things very clearly: “We are No. 1 in the pickup and the van market in Western Europe and the U.S., and this is our chance,” he said. “We are electrifying and we’re a brand people trust.”
According to Farley, the plan is to have electric versions for both the F-150 pickup truck and the Transit van up and running by mid-2022. That leaves Ford two short years to come up with a pair of vehicles that will face increasing competition: Rivian, Nikola, and even GM intend to launch similar vehicles with roughly the same time plan.
Yesterday, Ford announced a partnership with Volkswagen for the joint development of various projects, including EVs and commercial vehicles, which should ease the burden on both companies. In the meantime, the redesign of the F-150 is scheduled for release next month, and so is the big relaunch of the Bronco SUV - it's a busy time over at Ford.
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