Ford Planning a Range of New Hybrid Models

by Chris Teague

Published: July 29th, 2023

ford planning a range of new hybrid models

Ford is all-in on EVs, but The Blue Oval is finding that there are still plenty of buyers wanting fuel-efficient gas vehicles. That’s why CEO Jim Farley announced that his company would come up with a range of new hybrid models over the next few years as it continues its march toward electrification.

The news came after Ford’s somewhat disappointing earnings call, in which it reported further losses from its EV division. The company isn’t giving up on electric vehicles, but Farley said customer demand for its hybrid vehicle is surprising, especially the F-150 PowerBoost. He noted that more than 10 percent opt for the hybrid, and more than half of buyers snap up the smaller Maverick hybrid over the pure gas model.

Farley said Ford would produce hybrids that offer greater efficiency in some situations and more capability in others. That includes the automaker’s onboard generator systems and could mean a range of higher-performance vehicles that rely on battery power for an output boost. He also noted that Ford would not follow the typical hybrid mold of cars like the Toyota Prius and would instead bring more unique solutions to market.

Ford currently offers a few hybrids, including the Escape Hybrid, Maverick, and F-150. It also sells three EVs and is rumored to be working on a new electric truck. That said, the automaker recently cut prices of the F-150 Lightning to boost demand, and the Mustang Mach-E will be due for an update soon.

[Image: Ford]

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Chris Teague

Chris grew up in, under, and around cars, but took the long way around to becoming an automotive writer. After a career in technology consulting and a trip through business school, Chris began writing about the automotive industry as a way to reconnect with his passion and get behind the wheel of a new car every week. He focuses on taking complex industry stories and making them digestible by any reader. Just don’t expect him to stay away from high-mileage Porsches.

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8 of 73 comments

Canam23 on Jul 31, 2023

Good call. I think the manufacturers have rushed to build EV's but the infrastructure isn't solid enough yet. No doubt when cars first started out there was more feed stores than gas stations. But EV's are not going away and as has been reported recently the manufacturers are banding together to build their own charging stations like Tesla has done. I think the landscape will be very different in five years and even if the administration changes the toothpaste is out of the tube and the manufacturers are not going to just let their EV investments die.

2 Reply
Vulpine on Jul 31, 2023

I might get interested if they make a BEV Maverick. Until then, I'll keep what I have.

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- EBFlex on Jul 31, 2023
  
  They won’t for a very long time
  
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- Mindbreaker on Jul 31, 2023
  
  They don't need to, Maverick is selling very well as is. It is annoying that the price has gone up, and they are charging more for the hybrid. Even though they would not allow the hybrid to have 4wd, it is still the preferred version.
  They need some small in-wheel motors for the back wheels. Nothing crazy strong, just 40 or 50 hp each, and everyone buying a Maverick would choose that.
  
  They also took the most popular color away, changed its name and now charge for it. And they are removing features even as they increase the price.
  
  I guess they are doing their best to poison the Maverick. Why? Just make more...and make them better rather than worse.
  
  They can't make it electric. There is nowhere for the batteries. Unless battery energy density went up 5 or 6 times.
  They can double the regen battery storage...that is about it. I take it back, they COULD make it electric, but they would be limited to 100–150 miles, and that would not win over many buyers.
  Hybrid is a good match for me. My garage is detached, and too far from the house to upgrade the electricity, and I have an unpowered heavy metal gate across that driveway as well.
  For me, I need either a hybrid or a solar electric like Aptera. Aptera does not make a van...well...they don't make anything yet. But there is no solar van prototype to be seen. The Maverick can be nearly a van with a bed cap. Sadly, they killed that option too. They just asked too much for it and too many people backed out.
  
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- Vulpine on Aug 01, 2023
  
  @Mindbreaker: You're making a lot of assumptions there, almost all invalid. Have you heard about the latest NHTSA recommendations for CAFE? To achieve a 56mpg average, they're going to HAVE to go PHEV at a minimum almost across the board and many, MANY more are going to have to go either full BEV or pure hydrogen through fuel cells, and that second option hasn't proven itself viable as yet.
  
  And as I said earlier, I personally AM waiting for BEV, not hybrid, and I’m not alone. Assuming everybody would buy what you prefer is… shall we say… conceited? I know there will be some need for an easily-stored liquid or solid fuel for edge cases where renewable energy is not available, but just as gasoline is pretty much ubiquitous today, electricity is almost as ubiquitous and in some ways more so with, like gas, actual charging stations being available the current issue. Sure, you can carry five-gallon Jerry Cans for your off-road vehicle and maybe manage an extra 200 miles or so without access to a station, and that would be a little more difficult with a battery-electric. On the other hand, a combined solar/gas charger somewhat equivalent to the Jerry Cans is just as possible for those needs, wherein plugging into an available outlet is possible in almost any community today, giving you the opportunity to recharge in places where even gas may not be available.
  
  Assuming things won’t adapt to new demands is a major mistake; the adaption is already in process and your ‘need’ for a hybrid is momentary at worst. I honestly don’t understand why such a vehicle is so critical for you… especially in a van. But even so, modifying a BEV van for solar recharging is already possible, even if not the most glamorous. Use your own imagination and skills, or hire a customizer or body shop to modify it for you if you want it to look like factory work. The things you describe are pretty simple to arrange… and by your description, probably pretty easy to do yourself and avoid a permit by running your own wiring either underground or along the fence line to power your garage AND your gate. If you were a survivalist sort, you’d probably have that, and a whole lot more, already worked out and operating. And why bother with running wiring when you could install your own solar on that garage and gate?
  
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- Vulpine on Aug 01, 2023
  
  @Mindbreaker: By the way, do you know just how BIG the Maverick is? It's almost as big as the Ranger itself, which means it has more than enough room for a 100kWh battery which would likely give it 250+ mile range, as long as it isn't driven flat-out all the time.
  
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Mindbreaker on Jul 31, 2023

Every new car or truck sold in the US should have breaking regeneration of some type with some standard level of efficiency. Does not have to be electric, hydraulic, or KERS also work. There is just no reason to waste energy needlessly.

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Mindbreaker on Jul 31, 2023

I think they could sell millions of Maverick Hybrids if they both dropped the price to where it used to be and added in-wheel motors in the rear with 50 hp each. They would get a big bump in acceleration, and it would be 4wd, which lots of people like to think they need. Motors can be made with very high hp/lb ratios. Very little weight would be added.

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