Ford Ranger plug-in hybrid version may arrive in 2023

KUALA LUMPUR: Last week, the American auto giant Ford announced its electric transition plans for the European market, according to which, all the Ford nameplates in the Old Continent will be electrified by 2030. The announcement comes as a big surprise for the automotive industry as the conservative legacy automaker did not sell a single EV in Europe last year.

The plan describes that the first passenger EV to emerge from the company’s Cologne plant will arrive in 2023, with a second EV likely to arrive a year later. On a relatable note, an Australian motoring website Car Expert published a report which states that the next-generation Ford Ranger would have a PHEV variant.

The publication says that “A Ford Europe spokesperson this morning confirmed the Blue Oval’s commercial vehicle range, including the Ranger ute, will be zero-emission capable by 2024.”

Under the bonnet, the upcoming Ranger PHEV may get a combination of a 2.3-litre turbocharged EcoBoost four-cylinder gasoline engine and an electric motor to produce a combined system output of 362 horsepower and a whopping torque of 680 Nm. The fuel-sipping plug-in hybrid Ranger is likely to get a small lithium-ion battery pack and 10-speed automatic transmission to send power to the ground. 

Talking about fuel consumption, the upcoming Ranger PHEV is expected to offer a combined mileage of 33.33 kmpl (3 litres per 100km). The SUV version of the ute, the Ford Everest is also likely to incorporate the same PHEV setup.

Coming back to Ford's announcement for a greener future, during the whole presentation the company previewed a sketch in the background that is now supposed to be the company’s upcoming Euro-centric EV teaser. The same silhouette was featured in many official press images and also projected on the automaker’s Germany plant where it will build EVs by using Volkswagen’s MEB platform. The factory would roll out the first production vehicle a couple of years from now.

“Now we are charging into an all-electric future in Europe with expressive new vehicles and a world-class connected customer experience,” said Stuart Rowley, president of Ford European operations. 

Also read: Ford teamed up with Google for its future in-car technologies