XL Hybrids Rolls out Ford F-250 Super Duty Hybrid Upfit
With a full factory warranty, increased fuel economy, and no loss in towing & payload capacity, this F-250 hybrid is the future.
Ready or not, hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs) are coming, and they will eventually take over everything with four wheels. To date, the majority of EV development revolves around cars, crossovers, and hatchbacks, but not trucks for a number of reasons. Aside from their utilitarian nature, truck buyers are incredibly averse to electrification. Despite companies like Ford trying to avoid the inevitable, an F-150 hybrid has been available for quite some time. But now, now there’s a new sheriff in town.
The newly introduced Ford F-250 hybrid upfit is built by the same folks who’ve already made a name for themselves in the commercial EV industry – XL Hybrids. While most of us truck traditionalists tend to scoff at such things, a real market does exist. In fact, Ford Truck Enthusiasts met with XL Hybrids earlier this year and saw first-hand the benefits these F-150 hybrids provided to commercial customers.
The next logical move for the cutting-edge company is the next step up the Ford truck-hierarchy, and they’ve done just that. They’ve adapted the XL3 technology to the F-250 three-quarter-ton pickup, and the company claims that the addition of an electric motor and battery decreases fuel consumption by 25%, and also reduces CO2 emissions while retaining towing and payload capacity.
“We’re excited to see XL Hybrids launch its hybrid-electric upfits for our F-250 work trucks to help meet a growing customer need for improved efficiency while maintaining power, torque and work capability,” said Kevin Koswick, Ford director, North American Fleet Lease and Remarketing Operations. “We look forward to supporting XL Hybrids, a qualified eQVM program participant, with their technology and new upfit offerings in the commercial fleet market.”
Installation of the XL3 system can be completed in just a couple of hours, and better yet, it leaves all factory drivetrain components intact. XL Hybrid’s F-250 hybrid trucks retain their OEM warranty and come with an additional three-year, 75,000-mile warranty on the XL3 drivetrain. Once installed, the upfit requires no special maintenance or charging infrastructure – it’s a completely self-sufficient unit, one which the company claims customers have already tested for 50-million miles.
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