Things are changing at Ford. Again. Apparently, and perhaps understandably, fed up with the lack of profits from electric vehicles despite becoming America’s second-best-selling EV brand behind Tesla, the Dearborn automaker is retooling its electrified roadmap.
A three-row electric SUV is out, a hybrid three-row SUV is in, and a truck that seems like an F-150 Lightning replacement has been pushed back to 2027.
But one of the most interesting details in Ford’s strategy announcement today deals with the secretive “skunkworks” project based in California: the first vehicle on a new, lower-cost EV platform will be a midsize pickup truck, not a compact one as many—including us—had assumed.
Guessing it’s the Ranger Lightning instead of the Maverick EV. Personally I’d prefer the compact truck with bed capacity for 4x8 ft sheet goods.
I’m not surprised it won’t be an electric Maverick, I don’t think they’re ready to make a new version, and the current chassis I don’t think would work for a BEV, though I’m surprised they haven’t made a PHEV version, as the chassis is shared with the Escape IIRC which has a PHEV version or at least had one.
I bought an old 7ft Ranger and, when researching how to haul better, I came across a lot of people using the Maverick for sheet goods. Apparently it does very well. The bed has some board pockets and the tailgate can be hooked higher so the lip is level with the wheel humps. 8ft goods stick 1ft out the back. So no, it’s not hauling them like an F150 longbed would (flat and between the humps) but I’m sure I’d use the 4 doors and 40mpg better than monthly sheet good hauling (new homeowner).
In no way am I dismissing the utility of a larger vehicle, just pointing something out for those who might not expect it
