By H. Kent Sundling
Electric trucks are coming. In a couple years, there could be five or more on the market. Ford decided to introduce electricity in trucks first with a hybrid.
The 2021 F150 hybrid can power a 7,000-watt backup generator, which is enough to keep my house going, or a 3,600-watt generator for my RV toy hauler.
Ford did revise their owner’s manual to mention not to use the truck to power your house or RV. But that doesn’t mean you can’t run a small welder, power saw, etc. Ford claims the F150 PowerBoost full hybrid can run 28 refrigerators.
The 33-kilowatt-per-hour, 47-hp electric motor is sandwiched between a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter, V-6 engine and a 10-speed transmission. A 1.5-kilowatt hour lithium-ion battery is under the bed. The truck features 430 hp and 570 lb.-ft. of torque.
In two-wheel drive, the F150 can tow a 12,000-lb. trailer. The loaded Limited crew cab 4×4, with a MSRP of $79,000, is rated to tow an 11,000-lb. trailer with 1,305 lb. of payload. The F150 is a heavy truck at 6,340 lb.
The hybrid has a 30.6-gal. fuel tank and tallies 24 city/highway combined and 24 highway per EPA.
Plenty of Power
There are five outlets in the bed — one 240-volt, 30-amp outlet puts out 7,200 watts and four 120-volt, 20-amp outlets.
In the interior, the seats look like they’re out of a Lincoln – cross stitching, lots of adjustments and even a massage feature. Even the headrest has a speaker. The 12” center stack screen shows how much electrical power the truck is generating. Both front seats fold flat, and the center shifter folds into the center console, which flips over into a table.
The tailgate powers up and down, with rulers, notepad holder, bottle openers and clamp holes. There’s even a backup beeper to warn your trailer you’re hooking up.
The loaded limited model has a MSRP of $79,000. There’s an entry-level work truck too.
