A hybrid Ford F-150 and a hybrid Mustang are coming by 2020, according to an announcement today by Ford Motor Company. The announcement detailed seven new electrified cars, trucks and vans that the company is producing in the next five years. In addition to the F-150 and Mustang, a fully electric SUV with an expected 500 km range is coming. There will also be a plug-in hybrid Transit Custom, a new vehicle designed for autonomous ride-share use, and a pair of pursuit-rated hybrids for police use. In the same announcement, Ford also stated that they would be canceling plans for a new plant in Mexico and building some of the new vehicles in the US.
While purists will not be happy and forums will outrage with the news of the electrified F-150 and Mustang, the addition of electric power makes sense and can compliment both vehicles. In the F-150, the massive and instant torque of a hybrid motor is ideal for getting a heavy trailer moving. Regenerative braking from the electric motor operates much like a diesel's exhaust brake to help slow loads on hills as well. Ford says that the F-150 will have the ability to be used as a mobile generator, powering your worksite or outdoor needs.
Ford loftily claims the Mustang will "deliver V8 power and even more low-end torque", with improved fuel economy. The engine note might not be as sonorous as a big V8, but the tires will spin even more readily. The F-150 is scheduled to arrive by 2020, and the Mustang will debut that year.
The fully electric SUV will be an all-new model and Ford says only that it will be small, they expect it to be sold around the world, and that it will have a range of "at least 300 miles (482 km)." The autonomous vehicle, designed for ride-sharing services like Uber, has been brought up previously by Ford. Today's announcement says that it will be a hybrid, and will debut in 2021.
The Transit Custom hybrid will be for Europe only, at least at first. The Custom is a model not available here that fits in between the full-size Transit and the smaller Transit Connect vans we get here. Ford is already testing a hybrid version of the Connect as a taxi in New York City. The two pursuit-rated hybrid models were not named, but Ford did say that one of the two will be built at their Chicago plant. That assembly plant currently builds the Taurus and Explorer, both of which are sold as pursuit-rated to police forces.
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