While some carmakers are planning to completely discontinue petrol and diesel engined vehicles in the coming decade, others such as Toyota and Ford are taking a more balanced and cautious approach to the electric vehicle revolution.
Ford says it anticipates that around 40 percent of its global vehicle volume will be all-electric by 2030, and by as soon as 2025 it plans to invest $30 billion (R410 billion) in electrification, including battery development.
But wisely, Ford also seems intent on hedging its bets as widely as possible, particularly since its petrol and diesel powered light commercial vehicles, such as the Ranger and F-150, enjoy a strong following in so many countries.
For this reason, Ford claims that it will offer the world’s “most comprehensive and flexible” range of electric and internal-combustion commercial vehicles. This means that the diesel-powered Ranger that’s so popular in countries such as South Africa is not going to become extinct any time soon (in fact Ford SA has just invested heavily in the next-gen Ranger) and the same goes for the petrol-powered F-150 that dominates the North American market. However, we will see more hybrid and EV variants, such as the all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning that was revealed last week. This new product for the North American market comes with a 450 kW dual-motor set-up, a range of up to 480 km and a competitive price tag that starts just under $40 000 (R550 000).
The bottom line is that it will be a long time before all bakkie buyers are ready and able to make the switch, and until such a time Ford seems intent on offering a comprehensive spread of powertrains to suit all needs.
Furthermore, The company plans to vertically integrate battery technology with a comprehensive range of electric vehicle batteries, including IonBoost lithium ion, IonBoost Pro lithium iron phosphate for commercial vehicles, as well as long-range, low-cost solid-state batteries.
Ford is also investing in a new-generation cloud-based digital platform that will integrate electrical, power distribution, computing and software systems in connected vehicles of the future.
