The electric future will take a bit longer than originally promised at Ford.
On Thursday, Ford announced that its next-generation electric truck, known as T3, will arrive a year later than planned, while the unrelated three-row electric SUV will arrive two years later than planned. Subsequently, Ford said it plans to offer a hybrid powertrain in every gasoline model it sells.
Ford’s next-generation electric truck was supposed to arrive in 2025. The new electric truck, which Ford CEO Jim Farley has referred to as the “Millennium Falcon of trucks,” will now arrive in 2026.
The truck is expected to be a “tremendously high-volume vehicle,” Farley said in 2021. Ford also touted the truck as “fully upgradable, continuously improving, and compatible with towing, hauling, exportable power, and countless new innovations that owners will want.”
The automaker, to be built in Ford’s new BlueOval City in western Tennessee, committed to spending $11.4 billion on the 3,600-acre mega-campus. That campus will include new vehicle assembly, battery production, and a supplier park.
In 2023, Ford and its battery partner, SK On, received a $9.2 billion government loan for the battery plant portion of the plans. Later that same year, Ford announced it would delay its battery plant for these next-generation electric vehicles, citing lack of demand. The first of the two plants is still on track to open in 2025, Ford spokesman Martin Günsberg confirmed to Green Car Reports this morning.
Ford also announced Thursday that the three-row electric SUV planned for 2025 will now arrive in 2027. The three-row SUV will be manufactured at the automaker’s Oakville assembly plant in Ontario, Canada, which will undergo a retooling to start assembly during the second quarter of 2024 as planned.
Despite the plant overhaul, production of the next-generation electric SUV is delayed by two years to “allow the three-row electric vehicle consumer market to further develop and enable Ford to take advantage of emerging battery technology, with the aim of providing customers with increased durability and better value,” Ford said in Thursday’s statement.
Farley has described the seven-passenger electric SUV as “your own personal bullet train.” Ford aims for 350 miles of range with a 100 kwh battery pack for the three-row family vehicle, but Ford says it will still have a 300-mile range at 70 mph.
Hybrids for All
With the delay of its next-generation electric vehicles, Ford noted that it plans to add hybrid variants to every gasoline model line by 2030. According to Ford’s statement, its hybrid “offerings” will leave plenty of room for non-hybrid gasoline models.
This will translate into Ford finally delivering a powerful hybrid Mustang as originally promised in 2017. Ford’s hybrid plans suggest that its workhorse, the Super Duty pickup truck, and the off-road icon, the Bronco SUV, will receive hybrid powertrain options. The new midsize pickup truck Ranger, the full-size Expedition, and everything else could now be in line for a hybrid powertrain option.
