Ford has announced plans to roll out the iconic F-150 truck and the Transit van in all-electric versions, and the carmaker said the EVs will hit the market in the second half of 2022. The deployment will be initially geared for the U.S. and Western Europe markets, where the vehicle models have a strong following.
The decision to go all-electric is Ford taking part in an increasingly exploding segment of the auto industry that at the moment is being dominated by Tesla. The company said making its presence felt in the EV market is part of Ford's long-term growth strategy.
CNBC said in a report that projections from industry experts pointed to all-electric pickups and vans gradually becoming the go-to options for commercial and rental use so the likes of Ford, General Motors, and similar players breaking into the scene is not surprising at all.
Recently, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has made public his decision to partner with EV startup Rivian for the delivery requirements of the online retail giant. Bezos said his company will soon receive 100,000 units of delivery EVs.
Ford seemed unbothered by the suggestion that it's entry to the game is a bit late and insisted that the electrified F-150 and Transit will get the due attention from consumers.
"We are No. 1 in the pickup and the van market in Western Europe and the U.S., and this is our chance ... We are electrifying and we're a brand people trust," Ford COO Jim Farley told CNBC.
How the electric F-150 will be different from the original model is still shrouded in mystery but glimpses of things to expect have been hinted recently. For instance, a patent awarded to Ford in December 2019 indicated that the truck's engine compartment will be redesigned and transformed to accommodate cargo, according to Engadget.
A video tease from Ford also showed an F-150 prototype that boasts of incredible hauling power. The truck was filmed pulling a row of cars with an estimated weight of more than one million pounds.
Per the same report, it should be safe to assume that the all-electric F-150 will mostly mirror the redesigned 2021 model that Ford said will be unveiled in the next few weeks. The new F-150 is tipped to introduce a new body structure that possibly will be replicated for the EV version.
While Ford appeared confident that its EV push will get the traction once rolled out to the market, the company has a lot of catching up to do. It's undeniable that Tesla has captured the imagination of pickup fans with the super-hyped Cybertruck attracting 200,000 reservations more than a year before its scheduled market debut in 2021.
Then there's the push coming from General Motors, which will be bringing back the legendary Hummer as an electric SUV.
