F-150 Plug-in Hybrids by XL Fleet Join NOLA Government
Ford will soon produce its own plug-in hybrid F-150, but for now, aftermarket companies are stepping up.
Ford is diving headfirst into hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and fully electric vehicles. Amazingly, it’s been about 15 years since the company introduced the 2005 Ford Escape Hybrid, which was their first hybrid. But the company is no longer limiting its battery-assisted vehicles to front-wheel drive-based vehicles. In addition to the 2020 Ford Explorer Hybrid, the Blue Oval will soon offer the F-150 as a hybrid too. An F-150 hybrid seems like the perfect blend of fuel efficiency and capability that many municipalities crave.
That’s definitely why government fleet operators continue to purchase aftermarket hybrid vehicles like the XLP F-150 plug-in hybrid. Over at CleanTechnica, Johnna Crider chronicled a recent purchase made by the city of New Orleans. The Sewerage and Water Board decided to buy six plug-in hybrids from XL Fleet, a company that specializes in upfitting gasoline vehicles with batteries. It’s the latest sign that Ford should have no shortage of buyers when their home grown F-150 hybrid launches at some point in within the next several years.
Ford’s Electrified Future is Already Here
While Ford doesn’t currently offer a hybrid or plug-in hybrid F-150, several companies produce their own variants. XL Fleet, the company that sold the city of New Orleans their six plug-in hybrid F-150s, produces battery electric variants of several Ford vehicles, including the Super Duty. According to the company’s website, their hybrid powertrains can be installed in several hours. Better yet, the system is compatible with two-wheel and four-wheel drive models. An added benefit is the continuation of Ford’s factory bumper-to-bumper and powertrain warranty. XL Fleet also offers their own warranty too, which lasts for 3 years or 75,000 miles.
Sneak Preview
XL Fleet’s hybrid technology is fairly substantial. They integrated their traction motor directly into the drive shaft and developed a plug port that melds nicely into the rear bumper. Additionally, their battery contains all the electronics needed to govern the system in one convenient package. At 15kWh, their battery boasts a capacity slightly higher than the plug-in version of the Ford Escape Hybrid, which has a 14kWh battery. It’s an impressive achievement for an aftermarket company. Even more impressive is their ability to install the system into other vehicles like the Transit and the Ford E-350 cutaway and stripped chassis models.
Unfortunately, their greatest strength is also their biggest weakness. Their versatile hybrid systems are designed for multiple vehicle from several different manufacturers. Full integration simply isn’t possible with such a system. As you can see in the above picture, the battery sits in the bed, which obviously eats into cargo capacity. When Ford debuts their hybrid F-150, they will almost certainly avoid such an issue.
F-150 Hybrids FTW
There is already substantial evidence Ford can successfully integrate a modern hybrid powertrain into something like the F-150. The recently redesigned 2020 Escape Hybrid and 2020 Explorer Hybrid both feature batteries that sit underneath the passenger seat. Unlike the previous generation hybrids, that means there’s no compromise in interior cargo room or trunk space. And with the Explorer sitting on a brand new rear-wheel drive platform, Ford basically already has something that can be used in the F-150. The Explorer’s hybrid system even uses the 10-speed automatic that’s standard on almost every F-150 these days. Ford clearly developed the system for multiple vehicles, and it seems likely that a similar powertrain will be a part of the next generation F-150 when it debuts later this year.
The city of New Orleans is not alone in wanting more fuel efficiency from the trucks in their fleet. That’s the entire reason why a company like XL Fleet exists. And it bodes well for Ford when their hybrid F-150 arrives within the next year or so. They’ve already set a good precedent with the Explorer. Hopefully, they can channel that momentum into the F-150. We’re confident they’ll find plenty of customers willing to buy one when it finally reaches dealerships nationwide.
Photos: CleanTechnica; XL Fleet; Edward Snitkoff for FTE
