Ford’s truck future may be electrified, but not all electric. Representatives for the Dearborn, Michigan-based automaker, including CEO Jim Farley, expressed interest in EREV, or Extended Range Electric Vehicle, technology at Ford‘s “Model T moment” event in Louisville, Kentucky, yesterday.
“We’re now number three in hybrid, we’re number two in EVs, and we’re number one in combustion,” Farley told reporters. “We really like EREVs for a certain duty cycle. It makes a lot of sense for customers, but the key is: Can you execute it the right way, and can you do it profitably, with the right size battery? And, we’re excited to show everyone when that comes through.”
The comment follows the interest Farley expressed during the company’s Q4 2024 earnings call, saying the technology is a better solution for large truck and SUV drivers than battery-electric powertrains.
In response to a reporter’s question at the Louisville event, Doug Field, Ford’s chief EV, digital and design officer, explained that he was in the city to discuss the new, battery-electric midsize truck his company had developed, but with a glimmer in his eye and a half-smile on his face explained that the platform that truck was developed on is scalable and intimated that it’s capable of being the base for EREV technology.
Alan Clarke, executive director of advanced EV development at Ford, sitting next to Field, nodded in agreement while wearing a similar smirk.
EREVs combine motors, a battery pack and generator that work together with an internal combustion engine to maximize efficiency. The engine doesn’t move the vehicle forward, rather its power is turned into electrical power and motors make the vehicle move.
A large part of Ford’s business is large trucks. The company’s F-Series is the top-selling truck in the country for 47 years straight.
A Ford F-250 Super Duty with an internal combustion engine, weighing between 5,600 and 7,500 pounds, can tow up to 22,000 pounds in some current configurations. GMC’s Hummer EV weighs 9,000 pounds, thanks in large part to its 2,800-pound battery, and can tow just 12,000 pounds in its most capable variant.
Ford’s interest brings a natural comparison to the one American automaker actively pursuing the technology for its pickup truck line, Ram. In fact, Tim Kuniskis, Ram Brand CEO, recently revealed that the EREV of the company’s 1500 full-size pickup truck has leapfrogged Ram’s planned battery-electric truck in terms of an on-sale date. The plan is to now bring it to market in early 2026.
Ford Motor Company
Stellantis
The Ram 1500 Ramcharger is advertised as delivering a 690-mile all-electric range, 14,000-pound maximum towing capacity, 2,625 maximum payload capacity and 647 horsepower.
The Ram 1500 is one classification size smaller than the Ford Super Duty.
With Ford’s new midsize truck being the first vehicle off the line for the company on the new platform, it is likely that a new EREV truck would come to market after that date.