Could Ford’s Rivian investment lead to electric F-150?
Could Ford’s Rivian investment lead to electric F-150?
Posted on May 2, 2019
Ford announced last week that they have invested $500 million in EV manufacturer Rivian. In return they get a spot on the board and get to use the Rivian platform that underpins is R1S SUV and R1T truck. Does this mean we’ll be seeing an electric F-150 in the not too distant future?
The R1T is a truck cum ‘adventure vehicle’ said to be capable of up to 400 miles per charge. It is also said to be able to drive through three feet of water and hit 0-60mph in 3 seconds. The finished product looks odd and would definitely benefit from a little of Ford’s design expertise but the platform is solid enough.
It uses four electric motors, one per wheel to deliver the equivalent of 400 hp. It uses batteries rated at 105 to 180KwH for that 400 mile range claim. Horsepower can vary depending on the configuration but is said to be capable of up to 750 hp in total.
Electric F-150
Ford is said to be well on the way to developing the electric F-150 but this is almost ready to go. The R1T truck already uses the F-150 as a test truck so it won’t be too much of a technical leap to meld the two together. That may not be the case and Ford may develop something completely different, but either way, a truck with up to 750 hp on tap with a 400 mile range is something to get excited about.
The Dearborn automaker said they are planning lots more electric vehicles and another truck is possible but I’m not sure how likely. The F-150 is dominant in the market right now and the similarly-sized R1T would compete directly against it. On the other hand, would Ford risk their dominant model running on someone else’s platform?
The jury is out but in my humble opinion, I think if ford uses the R1T at all, it would be for a Ranger or F-150 variant. My money would be on the F-150 as they of a size.
The R1S platform could equally be used in other Ford models should they want to use that. As far as we know, it is only the R1T platform in question right now.
Rivian are planning a 2020 release date for the R1S and R1T. I personally hope they spend the intervening time and some of that $500 million on hiring a new designer as the current look is one only a mother could love!
The idea of an electric F-150 is a compelling one but we have no idea when it will be ready. In the meantime, check out the current lineup at Northway Ford Lincoln, 388 King George Road Brantford ON N3S 3N2.