Ford Plans To Expand Hybrid Truck Sales As It Moves Into Electric Technology

At one time, the Detroit Auto Show was the place to be at this time of year if you were in any part of the vehicle industry. It makes sense if you think about it. Detroit was the automotive industry hub for over a century, and the Detroit Auto Show was where the automakers showed their newest wares.

Detroit Auto Show Smaller

That has changed over the last couple of decades. The Detroit Auto Show opened today and has become a shadow of itself. There are some notable industry reveals, like the Ford F-150 pickup line, which has been teased about for the last few days.

Innovations don't have to be expensive when it comes to charging.

Ford has introduced several new innovations, which will be discussed in other stories here on Torque News.

An interesting starting point for information about the new F-150 innovations is that Ford owns a huge piece of the hybrid truck market. Ford has been a leader in the electric pickup market since its Lightning was introduced two years ago. Indeed, the automaker has been ramping up its all-electric truck production, aiming for the 150,000 truck-a-year level. The automaker hopes to hit the 600,000 truck-a-year level in the next few years.

Ford Sets Productions Targets

Now, the operative figure is 150,000 electrics a year. It’s a good goal for the Blue Oval. Over in the hybrid space, through the first half of 2023, not only does the Ford F-150 continue to be the best-selling full-hybrid pickup. Ford hybrid sales are up 28.1 percent.

Right now, 10 percent of all F-150 sales are hybrids. Ford plans to double the mix of hybrid trucks manufactured for the 2024 model year so that even more customers can access this advanced technology.

And the initial price point of a PowerBoost Hybrid, available on the XLT through the Platinum Plus, will now match the price point of the 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine.

Costs Equalized For Customers

Cost parity means that customers will no longer need to grapple with paying a premium price to have the benefits of a hybrid powertrain: a maximum available 430 horsepower and 570 pounds-feet of  -- the most of any F-Series vehicle, besides the Raptor and Raptor R – and standard 2.4k@ of Pro Poer Onboard – with the option to upgrade to 7.2 kW. All while getting the same durability, capability, and reliability as other F-150 series vehicles.

“We’re making hybrid more accessible to our customers, giving them the power of choice by offering it at the same price as the 3.5-liter EcoBoost. This is the latest example of Ford democratizing technology for all truck customers. We did it with EcoBoost Engines and high-strength military-grade aluminum alloy bodies for greater capability. Now we’re doing it with PowerBoost Hybrid,” said Andy Frick,  vice president of sales and trucks, at Ford Blue.

Marc Stern has been an automotive writer since 1971. His automotive articles have appeared in venues including Popular Mechanics, Mechanix Illustrated, AutoWeek, SuperStock, Trailer Life, Old Cars Weekly, Special Interest Autos, and others. You can follow Marc on Twitter or Facebook.