autoevolution
 

Ford F-150 EV Patent Reveals Single-, Dual-, Four-Motor Drivetrain Options

Remember when Ford and Chevrolet had electric pickup trucks? Few people do because the Ranger EV and S-10 Electric were manufactured in extremely limited numbers at prohibitive pricing points. The e-Ranger, for example, used to retail at $52,720 back in the early ‘00s.
Ford F-150 EV Patent 22 photos
Photo: USPTO via MotorTrend.com
2019 Ford F-150 Raptor2019 Ford F-150 Raptor2019 Ford F-150 Raptor2019 Ford F-150 Raptor2019 Ford F-150 Raptor2019 Ford F-150 Raptor2019 Ford F-150 Raptor2019 Ford F-150 Raptor2019 Ford F-150 Raptor2019 Ford F-150 Raptor2019 Ford F-150 Raptor2019 Ford F-150 Raptor2019 Ford F-150 Raptor2019 Ford F-150 Raptor2019 Ford F-150 Raptor2019 Ford F-150 Raptor2019 Ford F-150 Raptor2019 Ford F-150 Raptor2019 Ford F-150 Raptor2019 Ford F-150 Raptor2019 Ford F-150 Raptor
Following the democratization of electric vehicles by the Nissan Leaf and Tesla’s foray into the mass market, both the Blue Oval and Golden Bowtie find themselves in a heated war of electrified pickups. General Motors plans to roll out its electric workhorse by the fall of 2021, but chances are that Ford will beat The Big G by a few months with the F-150 EV.

A teaser clip of the current-gen truck with an electric powertrain was published not that long ago, showcasing a towing prowess of more than a million pounds as long as the haul includes a train full of F-150 pickups. There’s no denying that pulling a train on tracks is far easier than doing the same with a long trailer in direct contact with the blacktop, but hey, the Ford Motor Company has always been pretty cheeky about its PR stunts.

Scheduled to join the F-150 Hybrid that will go on sale in 2020 for the 2021 model year, the F-150 Electric is edging closer to reality thanks to a design patent discovered by MotorTrend. The most important piece of information concerns the drivetrain options, starting with a single electric motor mounted “forward or rearward of the power storage units.” In addition to the RWD powertrain, dual- and four-motor setups are also mentioned.

Tesla offers up to three electric motors in the Cybertruck while Rivian’s pickup – the R1T – features four for each wheel. In other words, the Ford Motor Company isn’t exactly trailblazing here.

Looking at the bigger picture, there can only be one winner from this rush to bring out e-pickups as quickly as possible. Whoever offers the best value for money wins, but only if the engineers and beancounters manage to intertwine affordable pricing with great payload and towing ratings.
If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
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.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories