Ford planning plug-in hybrid trucks and SUVs

• CEO Jim Farley said Ford is planning an extended-range EV possibly for use in pickups and large SUVs
• The technology uses a gas-powered generator to charge a battery that feeds the motors that drive the vehicle
• It could provide up to 700 miles of range

Ford has begun planning a plug-in hybrid system for use in SUVs and, possibly, some of its biggest pickup trucks.

“Ford will be developing flexible body-on-frame and unit-body platforms that will be designed for these multi-energy powertrains that are needed given the realities of customer affordability and range requirements,” CEO Jim Farley said Wednesday during an investor call.

Body-on-frame construction, in which the body and frame are separate, is used for most pickups and bigger SUVs, as opposed to the unit-body construction common in cars and crossover SUVs.

Farley pointed to a combined range of 700 miles for an EREV (extended-range EV), which combines the range of a battery pack with a gasoline-fueled range extender. That range extender acts solely as a generator to charge the battery pack, with all propulsion provided by electric motors. Such an arrangement is generally known as a series-hybrid system, and in this case Ford would be adding a plug to allow for a large enough battery pack to ensure substantial all-electric range.

This is essentially the same format pioneered by the Chevrolet Volt, and due to make a comeback in the 2025 Ram 1500 Ramcharger due later this year. The Volkswagen Groups’ new Scout Motors brand also plans to offer an EREV option, dubbed Harvester, in its Traveler SUV and Terra pickup alongside all-electric powertrains. The two Scouts are due in 2027.

It’s unclear when Ford’s EREV powertrain will arrive, though, as the automaker hasn’t given a timeline. Bloomberg reported Tuesday that the powertrain would appear in 2027 at the earliest. That report also said that use of the powertrain could extend to SUVs and Super Duty heavy-duty pickups, but there was no mention of a Super Duty plug-in hybrid in Farley’s remarks.

The CEO did say that, while Ford may see a sweet spot for small and medium-sized EVs, especially as a second vehicle in the household, “the economics are unresolvable” for larger all-electric SUVs.

“These customers have very demanding use cases for an electric vehicle—they tow, they go off-road, they take long road trips,” Farley said. “These vehicles have worse aerodynamics and they’re very heavy, which means very large and expensive batteries.”

Farley went on to explain that while fleet customers have proven willingness to pay extra for all-electric trucks, retail customers haven’t. That’s supported by Ford’s need to cut F-150 Lightning prices to maintain sales momentum. But with an EREV layout, the incremental investment is “very minimal,” Farley said, suggesting that this could let Ford offer EV driving attributes without a price premium.

Ford already dropped plans for a battery-powered, three-row SUV last year, and has said it will build more hybrids. Farley’s latest remarks indicate the automaker is still on that course.