Electric Ford F-150 EV - in the prototype and tested on the road

Ford has announced updates to the F-Series full-size pickup truck line: gasoline, hybrid and finally electric (with a backlog for the future) and investing $ 11 billion in the production of electric vehicles until 2022 to add 24 hybrids and 16 electric vehicles in your lineup.

Updated - added more photos of the electric version.

Against the background of the release of an updated version of the Ford F-Series Super Duty pickup, which now has:

• 7.3-liter naturally aspirated engine (in which a cast-iron cylinder block and a crankshaft made of forged steel, this is a V8 engine in which two valves per cylinder are adjacent to the variable valve timing system and a lower camshaft with a valve-actuated valve is installed);
• 10-speed automatic transmission (driving modes: normal, economical, for slippery roads, snow and when towing);
• Pro Trailer Backup Assist system (control when maneuvering in reverse with trailers: the on-board computer will analyze the movement and prevent you from making a wrong turn with the steering wheel);
• Wi-Fi access point (up to ten devices) with 4G LTE modem.

What else can a carmaker, founded 116 years ago, offer?

The answer: a hybrid and electric version for the Ford F-Series.

However, in the hybrid version, it is not planned to use a full electric mode, and the electric motor function will be reduced to helping the main unit to ensure the desired performance, the need for which may arise when transporting heavy loads, in addition, this solution can also be used as a mobile generator.

The scheme of the architecture of the elements of the hybrid version in front-drive models:


But on the electric version of the Ford F-150 pickup truck at Ford , the company was officially announced in mid-January 2019.

It was only a matter of time when we saw the all-electric Ford F-150, but now it’s closer and closer.

Previously, Ford discussed the possibility of introducing a hybrid or electric version of an F-150 pickup truck to the market.

Now, when Ford plans in the near future to focus on the production of trucks and off-road vehicles, this task was returned to the technical and production cycle with a new effort.

After all, competitors in such a complex technology industry, as the production of electric cars, have already announced the release in 2019-2020 of a large number of various electric pickups:

- this is Bollinger B2 (battery 120 kWh)



- Rivian R1T (800 hp power, 180 kWh battery, 640 km power reserve, towing capacity up to 5 tons)





- Tesla Pickup





- Atlis XT (power reserve up to 800 km, towing capacity up to 15 tons)



The company Ford also decided that the release of hybrid and electric versions of the F-150 will help the Ford F-Series line up to meet the requirements of tomorrow.

For the most part, this, of course, is a reserve for the future with an attempt to catch up with competitors and get around them in some segments of the car market, as you should not dismiss customers with the desire and ability to have a fully electric SUV or pickup, this is the expected and correct response from the automaker.

The Ford F-Series cars are the best-selling cars in the United States, and in 2018 more than a million units were sold. Making and implementing in the future a part of them in the all-electric version will be a huge step forward for the development of the electric vehicle market.

Ford also announced that it plans to invest $ 11 billion in the development and production of electric vehicles by 2022, which will allow the oldest automaker to add 40 hybrid and electric vehicles to its model range (16 of which are planned to be created with full-fledged electric vehicles, 24 - hybrids).

But it was not so much the clarity and obviousness of the above statements that struck as the fact that there are already workers and tested prototypes of new electric vehicles, such as, for example, the prototype of the F-150 electric pickup.

January 16, 2019 - an official statement from Ford CEO James Farley at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, USA.

February 7, 2019 - the first photos of testing the prototype of the electric pickup F-150 appeared.



Thus, Ford is working seriously on this task and there will be more information about its electric innovations.





What can be seen in the photo:

• it is clear that this is a test version of the prototype F-150 EV, which will ultimately differ from the production model, which, in a year and a half, I hope, will come off the assembly line;
• the way to connect to the charger through the charging port located in the lower right part of the front bumper will be very inconvenient for use, so engineers still need to work out this moment;
• The frame of the prototype F-150 EV is raised slightly higher than that of the standard version F-150, most likely because of the flat battery compartment located under the cab;
• the tip of the exhaust pipe is very intrigued, it is likely that this site was specifically left to divert attention and disguise the real functionality of the tool;
• judging by the thickness of the charging cable, the pickup is connected to a charging system using a CCS ( Combined Charging System ) connector, which indicates that it is really an electric vehicle (EV) or a PHEV (Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle) hybrid with a very large battery, which is less probably.

By the way, here is another photo taken with similar prototypes earlier (here the connector in a different place is installed and the battery part under the body is visible):





By the way, these photos of the Ford F-150 Limited 2019 show that the standard version of the F-150 does not have an extra wide plane from the bottom of the cabin, like the prototype, and that in the normal version the fog lights are located at the place where the charging connector prototype, as well as the exhaust system with the output of the rear pipes, and not on the side, as the "snag" of the prototype.







In addition, Ford has previously announced that it will work closely on the design of electric vehicles with concern Volkswagen AG.

Ford F-150 Electric Pickup Truck, expected performance (so far according to the data here):

• expected model year for release: 2020-2021;
• planned power not less than 650 hp,
• battery at least 180 kWh,
• cruising range of at least 320 km
• towing capacity not less than 4500 kg.

Here is an example of using a pickup truck with a serious traction load, which is why the towing capacity in the base is rather high: