Ford F-Series Trucks Won't Ditch Combustion Anytime Soon

Apr. 21, 2022 6:04 AM ET by Gerhard Horn Engine / 4 Comments

Ford may be punting the F-150 Lightning hard, but combustion isn't going anywhere.

While it may seem like Ford is throwing all of its weight behind electrification, ICE engines are still part of its long-term plan.

Ford's vice president of American manufacturing, John Savona, and its vice president of labor affairs, Kevin Legel, recently met with the Unifor trade union representatives in Canada. According to Unifor's Local 200 president, John D'Agnolo, Ford is still a long way from getting out of the combustion side when it comes to trucks.

D'Agnolo sat down for an interview with the Windsor Star following his meeting with Ford last week.

2020-2022 Ford F-350 Super Duty Driving Front Angle

"They don't see until 2040 before they get out of the combustion side of it. Right now, I looked at their plans for the next three years, and it's steady at both sites (Essex Engine and Annex Engine). I was quite happy with that," he said.

D'Agnolo admits that he was feeling stressed due to the release of the all-new F-150 Lightning. Ford is pitching it as both a work and lifestyle truck, and the sales are looking remarkably strong.

Be that as it may, Ford is not ready to dump engines made by the Essex or Annex engine plants.

2020-2022 Ford F-250 Super Duty Front Angle View

2020-2022 Ford F-250 Super Duty Rear Angle View

The Essex Engine Plant is located in Windsor, Canada. It currently builds the 5.0-liter Coyote V8 as used in the Ford Mustang, and the 7.3-liter Godzilla V8. The latter powers both the Ford F-250 and F-350.

"Right now, those truck engines are their bread and butter and they're not going to be making any changes whatsoever when it comes to that," said D'Agnolo.

He mentioned the government's 2035 deadline for all cars and light trucks to be fully electric, but heavy-duty trucks are not included in the ban. While the 5.0-liter might disappear, the 7.3-liter and upcoming 6.8-liter V8 will soldier forth uninterrupted.

"I don't think they'll be able to transition out of that heavy-duty trucks too quickly," D'Agnolo said.