We’ve spent a lot of time theorizing about what the 2024 Ford Ranger would be. We’ve contemplated an all-electric version as well as a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) – but that was just speculation. Now, new articles from Automotive News and Ford Authority seems to suggest a hybrid version is definitely coming in 2025.
The big question: Will it be a straight hybrid or will it be a plug-in hybrid?
Automotive News simply says “hybrid” without any further descriptors, but Ford Authority takes the leap to PHEV.
While we’d love to see a plug-in version of the Ranger, there isn’t any precedence for a plug-in truck – not at Ford Motor Co. and not in anywhere else in the automotive world.
But we’ve long thought that a PHEV truck would be a great bridge between the gas world and straight electric because it gives you fuel efficiencies for your commute but longer range without worry for towing and road trips.
What could a Ford Ranger PHEV look like?
If we look at the Escape PHEV in Ford’s lineup, we could be looking at about 40 miles of all-electric range. The Escape PHEV uses the 2.5-liter I-4 engine and is front-wheel-drive only. While we should see sharing the same 200-horsepower powertrain, we find it unlikely that a Ford pickup truck would be front-wheel-drive – so there would have to be some re-engineering to get a rear-wheel-drive or 4X4 drivetrain ready.
Moving to other PHEVs in the industry, Jeep has another really good example to follow with its 4XE Wrangler. That vehicle is four-wheel-drive only and delivers 21 miles of all electric range.
We imagine we’ll see something between the two.
The bottom line
We’re still just speculating about a hybrid or PHEV variant. But given the fact that the F-150 has a very successful hybrid and Ford has a strong electrification strategy, we can all but guarantee a hybrid of some sort is coming. We expect the Ranger to hit the U.S. market in early 2023 as a 2024 model.
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