Ford to develop range-extender hybrid vehicles following global EV sales decline
02/13/2025 07:00 PM
Ford CEO Jim Farley has confirmed range-extender hybrid vehicles from the brand are under development for application in larger SUVs and utes.
Ford has confirmed hybrid range-extender electric vehicles (EREVs) are currently under development for its larger SUVs and utes – but it has not announced a launch date.
Jim Farley, chief executive officer of Ford, said the brand has started working on range-extenders, which are a more advanced type of plug-in hybrid electric vehicle where the petrol motor acts as a generator for a vehicle’s electric motor or motors and never directly powers its wheels.
“Ford will be developing flexible body-on-frame and unibody platforms that will be designed for these multi-energy powertrains [hybrid, plug-in hybrid and range-extender],” Farley said.
MORE: Ford cuts electric car output amid 'rapidly deteriorating' demand – report
The executive cited range-extender vehicles sold in China, including large SUVs from Li Auto and “some of the best EREV companies out there”, during its earnings call for the full 2024 year.
“We were really impressed that the customers thought of these vehicles as EVs,” Farley added. “They do not think of them as hybrids or plug-in [hybrids]. These are electric vehicles. They use 95 per cent of the miles as electric and they plug them in every night.
“The satisfaction is even higher because they are more affordable for people. The batteries are so much smaller with a 150-mile range (241 kilometres) versus these huge batteries in three-row crossovers [SUVs] for a 350-mile range (563 kilometres). You’re talking about tens, tens and tens of thousands of dollars.”
It follows a global decline in sales of Ford’s electric vehicles in 2024, which fell 9 per cent over the previous year, despite the launch of the Volkswagen-based Ford Explorer and Ford Capri models in Europe.
MORE: Ford CEO drives Chinese electric car for six months 'and I don't want to give it up'
However revenue in Ford’s ‘Model e’ electric-vehicle division fell 35 per cent in 2024, largely due to incentives to boost sales of the Mustang Mach-E mid-size SUV and F-150 Lightning pick-up in the United States.
The Ford Model e division recorded a $US5.08 million loss ($AU8.1 million) in 2024, following its $US4.7 million loss ($AU7.5 million) loss in 2023.
Ford currently offers hybrid and plug-in hybrid vehicles – including the Ranger Plug-In Hybrid and Transit Custom Plug-In Hybrid coming to Australia later this year – but it has yet to launch a range-extender hybrid vehicle.
MORE: Ford cancels electric SUV, delays others as it rethinks electric cars – again
The 2025 Leapmotor C10 will become the first range-extender hybrid electric vehicle to be sold in Australia since the BMW i3 REx was discontinued in 2021, when it arrives in local showrooms in the first half of the year.
Globally, the Chinese car industry has launched a number of range-extender vehicles, while Mazda sells its MX-30 R-EV in some markets with a small rotary engine, and the Ram 1500 Ramcharger pick-up will launch in the United States later this year.
The Chevrolet Volt – sold in Australia as a Holden more than a decade ago – was one of the world’s first range-extender hybrid vehicles, with its petrol engine never directly powering the wheels, unlike a conventional plug-in hybrid.
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