Ford F-150 Hybrid Makes Public Appearance
Ford has never denied its involvement and development of hybrid powertrains for the F-Series, but more specifically the Ford F-150.
A partially camouflaged Ford F-150 was recently spotted cruising Dearborn, Michigan at a relatively low rate of speed, and according to Brian Williams of Spied Bilde, the internal combustion engine (most likely a 3.5 liter EcoBoost V6) would partially shut off when coasting and at stop signs or stop lights.
Williams claims that when the engine would shut off, an electrical “whir” could be heard coming from the truck, which is quite typical of conventional hybrid powertrains. There’s even a video of it. All of this comes right after Ford announced that starting next year, all EcoBoost powered F-150s will feature the auto start-stop function standard.
Auto start-stop helps conserve fuel by shutting off the engine when the truck comes to a complete stop, and could fuel-efficiency could further be maximized by a hybrid powertrain, which would help a large vehicle like the F-150 reduce fuel-consumption when most needed—when tarting and stopping.
The up-close spy photos also zero in on the front quarter panel, which seems to hide a cover, which according to Motor Trend, it could be the charging port for a plug-in hybrid. Say whaaaaa?
There you have it, not only a hybrid, but a plug-in model. What do you think?
Chime in with your thoughts on the forum. >>
Via: [Motor Trend & Spied Bilde]
