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The Ford F-150 Hybrid is Finally Here and We Can’t Wait To Drive It

June 25, 2020 by Scotty Reiss Leave a Comment

Ford F-150 hybrid

F-150 Lariat in Rapid Red Metallic. 📸 Ford

We love hybrids. We love trucks. This could be sheer heaven. 

We love our trucks. But as fun as they are to drive, the poor fuel economy may make you rethink having one for every day driving. Ford is changing that.

The first automaker to bring a hybrid to the truck market, the company just revealed the 2021 Ford F-150, now with an available hybrid option. The company isn’t saying yet how much more fuel efficient it will be or what the performance specs are, but our guess is it’ll be somewhere in the 23 MPG range (vs. 18MPG in the gas version) and slightly more powerful than its gas-engine counterpart.

And, with a 30 gallon gas tank, drivers should be able to drive about 700 miles on a tank of gas. You might tempted to turn it into your road trip ride. 

Related: Meet Jackie DiMarco, the woman who engineered the new Ford F-150  

Ford F-150 hybrid

The front seat features lay-flat Max Recline seats in the 2021 Ford F-150. 📸Ford

Electric Trucks are the Future. But Hybrid is the Now  

The auto industry, especially in the US, has been working hard on developing electric trucks for a while now. Of course, Tesla famously introduced one of the most unusual looking trucks, the Tesla Cybertruck. There are also electric versions coming from new auto companies like Rivian, Lordstown Motors and Bollinger Trucks as well as stalwarts GMC, with the Hummer, and Ford with an all-electric version of the F-150.

But until these roll out, and perhaps even afterward, hybrid is a great option for better fuel efficiency. Personally, I’m fan of the increased MPG of a hybrid, as well as the quiet motor, the low emissions and the message it sends to automakers: using less fuel while doing all the things I need to do matters to me. 

Related: Why Girls Love Trucks, and How the Best Trucks Make Us Feel

Ford F-150 hybrid

2021 F-150 Limited in Smoked Quartz. 📸 Ford

Hybrid is Just One Option of the Redesigned F-150

Lending to a lighter-weight truck, the F-150 is still constructed of aluminum over a high strength steel frame. The 2021 model will feature new bumpers, wider-set wheels and new lights, but it’s still unmistakably an F-150.

Ford is offering 4 engine types: V6, V8 (each with two options, a standard gas engine or more powerful Ecoboost Turbo), a Power Stroke diesel or the new PowerBoost hybrid. Buyers can choose based on towing, hauling and horsepower capacity. 

The PowerBoost engine is essentially an electric motor that assists the F-150’s 3.5. L EcoBoost engine, adding about 47 horsepower to the total power. It will also, as is typical with hybrids, use a lithium-ion battery to store power and regenerative braking will capture unused energy and feed it back into the battery. This makes the F-150 potentially even more fuel efficient. 

Related: The Ford Mustang Mach-E: A Digital Native’s Electric Dream

Ford F-150 hybrid

The Pro Power station has up to 7.2-kilowatts of charge capacity; there are three levels of electrical output, depending on engine size. 📸 Ford

More Power Outlets Turns the F-150 into a Generator

While pickup trucks in general are great for powering up all sorts of equipment — hello wide screen TV, electric blankets and a hot coffee station at the Homecoming weekend tailgate! — the bigger the engine, the more charge capability. So, from powering up phones and laptops to inflating air mattresses to running a cotton candy machine, almost anything is possible. 

With capacity ranging from 2,000 watts to 7,000 watts of energy use at a time, there are two power stations in the 2021 Ford F-150: One in the truck bed and one in the cabin. This graphic shows what each engine size is capable of. 

Ford F-150 hybrid

Related: 2020 Ford Explorer: With Hot New Features and a New Look, This is Not Your Daddy’s 7 Seater SUV

More Clever New Details on the F-150 Interior

Trucks have gotten quite smart, carving out more interior storage spaces and adding features that make a truck a great option for daily driving. These are some of the features we are exited about in the 2021 F-150.

Ford F-150 hybrid

Foldable, lockable, dividable storage is an option under the rear seats.📸 Ford

The Ford F-150 is expected to roll into dealerships in late 2020, which is when the company will also release final fuel economy ratings for the PowerBoost hybrid and pricing, which we expect to carry a small premium over the 3.5L V6 EcoBoost.

You can see the full 2021 Ford F-150 announcement and get more details here. 

Ford F-150 hybrid

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Scotty Reiss

Scotty Reiss

Journalist, entrepreneur and mom, Scotty likes to say the automotive business found her, she didn't pursue it. But recognizing the opportunity to give voice to powerful female consumers and create a voice to match their spending power, her mission became to empower women as car buyers and owners. A career-long journalist, she has written for the New York Times, Town & Country, Adweek and co-authored the book Stew Leonard, My Story, a biography of the founder of the iconic grocery company Stew Leonard’s. Her love of cars started when her father insisted she learn to change the oil in her MG Midget, but now it mostly plays out in the many road trips taken with her family.
Scotty Reiss

@@scottyreiss

Scotty Reiss

Scotty Reiss

Scotty Reiss

Latest posts by Scotty Reiss (see all)

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  • Be Safe On the Road This Summer: 9 Tips for Road Trip Safety - May 20, 2022

Filed Under: Ford, Hybrid, Truck Tagged With: electric trucks, EV Pickup truck, Ford, ford f-150, pickup truck

About Scotty Reiss

Journalist, entrepreneur and mom, Scotty likes to say the automotive business found her, she didn't pursue it. But recognizing the opportunity to give voice to powerful female consumers and create a voice to match their spending power, her mission became to empower women as car buyers and owners. A career-long journalist, she has written for the New York Times, Town & Country, Adweek and co-authored the book Stew Leonard, My Story, a biography of the founder of the iconic grocery company Stew Leonard’s. Her love of cars started when her father insisted she learn to change the oil in her MG Midget, but now it mostly plays out in the many road trips taken with her family.

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