F-150

Make
Ford
Segment
Sports Car

Just a few days ago we learned that Ford was planning on investing $4.5 billion dollars in electric vehicles by the year 2020. Its goal was an ambitious one: to have 13 new electrified vehicles (including hybrids) in its lineup. This writer speculated that Ford may be planning to give one or more of its iconic models a green powertrain. That speculation was confirmed during an interview Ford CEO Mark Fields had with NPR. Fields said point blank that a hybrid F-Series pickup was on the way.

Fields' revealed Ford's plans when interviewer Ari Shapiro asked him about the gap between the automaker's best-selling F-150 and its poorly selling eco stablemates, specifically the plug-in Fusion. "Well, we do have plans to have a rear-wheel drive hybrid truck by the end of the decade. So yes, we're working on electrified F-series, and it's really around a conventional hybrid," he said. Note that "the end of the decade" means 2020. Wow, that's pretty damn soon. Of all the automotive enthusiasts, truckers are the most resistant to change. They cling to big engines and steel bodies, aka man stuff. Ford has bucked this trend, making its new F-150 out of aluminum and shoving an EcoBoost engine in it.

So, in a way this announcement shouldn't come as that big of a shock. Still, it'll take time for people to get used to the idea as most still associate hybrids with eco warriors and not construction workers. There's bound to be more detail on the hybrid F-150 released sooner than later, but for now let us know what you think of the initial announcement in the comments section.