It seems timely to talk about the battery-fed utility Ford already has in circulation.

BIGGER setting, bigger engine, lighter level of electrified involvement - yet likely as not an upsized Ford ‘utility’ roaming America will lend idea of what can be expected from the  Ranger hybrid coming to New Zealand from early 2025.

Utility? Well, it’s obviously bigger than that. Tailored for - and primarily sold in - North America, the F-150 is the biggest personal use tray deck Ford builds.

A hybrid version has been selling Stateside for more than a year now. 

The drivetrain it uses is basically akin to that coming to Ranger in core design, in that it marries a petrol engine to an electric motor, which feeds off a bespoke battery. 

F-150’s set up is one step behind the one we will see, in that it’s not yet a plug-in hybrid. 

Facility to replenish off the mains is coming, but at the moment this mammoth load-all achieves what a certain other maker calls a ‘self-charging’ hybrid.

At basic technical level, however, what works for the F-150 seems similar to what is coming for us. Specifically, as per Ranger PHEV, there’s an electric motor in the 10-speed automatic transmission to augment the internal combustion engine, with power feeding from a battery installed in the chassis.

With F-150, that’s 1.5kWh lithium-ion battery underneath the truck, that is recharged from the engine and regenerative braking. The electric motor used Stateside develops 35kW.

With Ranger, Ford is marrying up the electric side to a 2.3-litre Ecoboost turbocharged petrol. You can buy this engine in Ranger in fully petrol form in other markets, but not here. Kiwis keen to try it can do so … by shopping for Volkswagen Amarok. The same truck in all but styling. VW NZ has 20 2.3-litre editions coming in. They have the same outputs quoted for the Ford equivalent: So 222kW and 452Nm.

Ford has not stipulated what the electric motor will add to that, but  has said the resultant torque lift will be significant - they say it will have the biggest torque for Ranger. At the moment, the king in that respect is Ranger V6 turbodiesel, with 600Nm.

At 5885mm in length, 2029mm width, and 1960mm in height, F-150 Hybrid is, of course, a much larger unit than Ranger, and heavier too at 2.5 tonnes in lightest form  … so demands a much bigger petrol engine: A 3.5-litre V6. This delivers 320kW and 772Nm.

That makes it the third most powerful F-150 variant, behind a 5.0-litre V8 petrol Tremor and the fully electric Lightning. Zero to 100kmh of 5.4 seconds is impressive, given the mass. It is faster than many of its competitors.

US website topspeed.com says the model assuages common concern about a loss of speed or agility just because it's a hybrid.

“With this truck, however, drivers get the speed and agility of a traditional F-150, all while incorporating electric driving into their trucks. On and off-roading is another major perk where this speed directly affects the performance of your hybrid.”

In respect to performance, there’s conjecture in US media that Ford could easily make future F-150 Hybrids even faster and gruntier, with in excess of 300kW.

Nonetheless, the real sales appeal is less about shunt than sipping. 

The optimal of 9.8 litres per 100km city/highway/combined with the four—by-four version is quite significant. The rear-wheel drive model slightly outperforms this with 9.4L/100km city/combined and 9.0L/km highway ratings. This compares with 11.7/9.04/10.06 city/highway/combined ratings for the next most fuel-efficient F-150 engine, which has a much less powerful 2.7-litre, six-cylinder (223kW/542Nm).

Comment from US media is that this has telling impact on running cost. Said one: “While a hybrid pickup won’t completely ween you off of expensive fossil fuels, the F-150 hybrid does offer a roughly 20 percent improvement in fuel economy over it non-hybrid siblings, which adds up at the pump.”

Ford Australia has vowed that Ranger PHEV will equal the ICE models for towing. Assumption is they mean the diesels, which can heft 3.5 tonnes, rather than the V6 twin turbo petrol Raptor, which  limits to 2500kg.

F-150 Hybrid has a towing capacity of 5700 kilograms. That’s clearly immense, but this is a big boy class vehicle. The pure petrol editions can tow even more. Still, the Hybrid’s is still a respectable number, putting it on par with the two big rigs that are availed here, Chevrolet Silverado and the RAM 1500.

 In terms of payload capacity, the F-150 Hybrid can carry 1500kg, a higher amount than the average. 

In respect to driving, Ranger PHEV will deliver up to 45 kilometres pure electric operation, Ford says.

F-150 Hybrid doesn’t get near that. The system is designed to deliver short bursts of electric-only operation at low speeds.

Be that as it may, the model lends idea of how much effort goes into ensuring a smooth and seamless integration. Media in North America are generally impressed by how the F-150 synched in with the petrol. One commenting: “… the switch from gas to electric power as well as from regenerative to friction braking is smooth and near seamless.”

Also being noted is how the electric motor offers instant torque, “which means that it can take off quickly and smoothly from a stop.”

Ford has yet to say anything about how the PHEV will integrate into Ranger, but with F-150 one impact of taking on electric gear is a reduction in fuel tank size, from 135 litres on pure ICE types to 98 litres).

For the kerbside, badging aside, there’s little difference. Within the cabin, the only change is that the multimedia screen displays the operation of the ICE and electric motor, as well as the hybrid battery charge.

F-150 Hybrid is the first in this family to have over-the-air software updates. Will Ranger PHEV follow suit?

Pro Power Onboard going to be a big talking point for Ranger. Feedback out of the US is that a feature that provides electricity for tools and various appliances on the go via cargo bed and in-cabin outlets has been a very significant selling feature.

Said one commentator: “Pro Power Onboard is a top selling point: The electric battery can supply generator-like electricity at work locations, campsites, tailgate scenes, or even at home.”

Ranger’s set up to offers 230 volts at 10 amps outlets, with the onboard inverter expected to exceed 3kW. In the F-150 format, it provides 7.2kW of power and has four bed-mounted 120V, 20-amp outlets, or a 240V, 30-amp outlet.

As much as we think Ranger is a smart truck, F-150 is actually delivering more technology in other areas. For instance, it has Ford’s Active Drive Assist, which enables hands-free driving on more than 160,000 kilometres of divided highways in the US and Canada. 

Other connectivity features include SiriusXM’s subscription-based 360L satellite and streaming service, as well as the FordPass mobile app (also available on Android and iOS). The latter lets drivers remotely start, lock, and unlock their vehicle, plus change the truck’s Zone Lighting, Trailer Theft Alert, and Pro Power Onboard settings.

This tech is taking off, too. In the US, 10 percent of all F-150 trucks sold are hybrids. Ford plans to double the mix of hybrid trucks manufactured for the 2024 model year.

Of course, latest F-150 is coming to this part of the world. Albeit just the neighbour’s. Ford Australia is kicking in a programme now to convert the pure petrol edition into right-hand-drive; something that cannot be done at factory. It has commented about the potential for Hybrid joining that scheme, though this will depend on the popularity of the petrol versions.

Ford NZ says it has no interest in taking those Australia-sourced F-150s. However, that’s not to say individual dealers might take a punt. Nor that the decision might alter if and when a electric assist F-150 was in the spotlight.