This Best-Selling Truck For 30 Years Is Set To Become Highly Fuel Efficient

The best-selling truck in the United States, the Ford F-150 is ready to turn into a fuel-efficient hybrid vehicle by 2021.

We all know that Ford is working on an all-electric F-150 based on the powertrain and battery pack of the Rivian R1T. What we didn’t know was that Ford is also working on an F-150 hybrid vehicle.

Lincoln, Ford’s luxury brand, already uses a Plug-in hybrid powertrain for the 2020 Aviator hybrid SUV. It uses a 3.0-liter V6 twin-turbo engine paired with a 13.6 kWh lithium-ion battery.

According to some reports, the Ford F-150 hybrid will be powered by a 3.5-liter Turbo V6 engine. Additionally, the next-generation F-150 will have a premium interior, a bigger infotainment screen, and Wireless Sync 4 capabilities.

Here’s everything you need to know about the upcoming 2021 Ford F-150 Hybrid vehicle.

Ford Hybrid Vehicle Along With 2021 F-150, And 2022 Raptor

2021 F-150 Hybrid Engine Lineup

According to a leaked report, the upcoming F150 engine lineup will include the following:

2.7-liter V6 Twin-Turbo Eco-boost engine
3.5-liter V6 non-turbo engine
3.5-liter V6 Twin-Turbo Hybrid Electric Vehicle
3.5-liter V6 Twin-Turbo
3.0-liter V6 Diesel Engine
5.0-liter V8 Coyote engine

These engines will be available in 2WD and 4WD setup as they currently do.

According to Ford, the 2.7-liter Twin-Turbo is the best selling F-150 in their lineup. It produces 325 HP and the 2021 version of the truck will continue to produce the same.

The fastest F-150 at the moment is the one with the 3.5-liter V6 Twin-Turbo engine. It makes 375 HP, and as per the leaked document, will be the variant to get an additional electric battery for hybrid conversion.

The leaked doc classifies uses the term HEV or Hybrid Electric Vehicle to describe the upcoming Ford F-150 hybrid. What this means is that it will use the engine and the braking energy to recharge the battery instead of requiring a dedicated wall socket charger, like the Lincoln Aviator PHEV.

You can read about the difference between HEV and PHEV here.

The power figures for the F-150 Hybrid vehicle are labeled as ‘TBD’ meaning in the leaked docs. But we can expect a small horsepower increase along with a massive torque figure increase, due to the electric powertrain.

Since there is a good amount of time interval between the launch of the new Ford F-150 and its subsequent Raptor variant, one can also expect to see an F-150 Raptor hybrid as well. Mainly because the Raptor uses the same 3.5-liter V6 twin-turbo setup which is getting a supplementary electric powertrain.

2021 Ford F-150 Design Changes And Equipment Changes

However, Ford hasn’t officially revealed any new design elements. Digital artists on the internet have created renders of what the new F-150 and Raptor might look like based on the leaked prototype Ford keeps testing on public roads.

The 2021 F-150 will feature new headlamps, fenders, front bumper, hood, and a front grill.

In addition to these changes, the 2022 Ford Raptor can be seen with a new wheel design and lower placed LED headlights.

The conventional F-150 and its hybrid version will look exactly the same, as is the case with several other products like Hyundai Elantra and its hybrid variant.

The 2022 Raptor will also have coil-spring suspension instead of a leaf-spring setup.

Difference between coil spring and leaf spring suspension setup

Leaf spring suspension allows a vehicle to have higher backload capacity, but these springs lack the fine-tuning capabilities of a coil-spring suspension. Additionally, when going off-road, the coil-spring allows the vehicle to connect easily with the ground.

Moreover, in the hybrid version, to keep the extra weight added by the batteries and electric motor in check, Ford will continue to use an aluminum bed and chassis.

Interior Changes

The interior of the F-150 sees an improvement in terms of fit and finish and infotainment system. According to some leaked photos, the F-150 Lariat trim (mid-level) trim will get a digital driver console and a 12″ infotainment touch screen.

In this trim you’ll also see analog switches for heating or cooling seats and steering wheel.

There is still a traditional shifter and a separate button for mode selection.

According to a readout on the driver’s side screen, this particular truck had a fuel economy of 21.8 MPG. However, there is no information available on whether this truck was being driven in the city or on the highway.

F-150 Hybrid Vehicle Launch Date

There is no confirmation on the launch date for the Ford F-150 Hybrid pickup truck. And if the current situation with Coronavirus is any hint, the launch could even be delayed by several months.

However, expect the F-150 hybrid to hit the market by the end of summer 2020.