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Ford F-150 Shelby: 200km of big dumb fun
by Dominik Bärlocher
The Ford F-150 pickup truck goes electric: will the 755 PS Shelby be pushed into the backseat?
18.9.2020
Translation: Veronica Bielawski
Pictures: Giosue Ceniviva
Ford has announced that it’s turning the Ford F-150 pickup truck electric. The car manufacturer is pulling a risky financial manoeuvre by bestowing an established brand name on it. With the help of its image and marketing, Ford is trying to cushion 700 million in investments two whole years before the launch.
The potentially most powerful pickup truck in the world is to make its debut in 2022. Because that’s the year Ford will launch a model of the F-150 pickup truck that will even outshine the supercharged Shelby version.
The Ford F-150 is going electric.
Ford is not just putting the pedal to the metal towards a petrol-free future, but it’s also trying to get a piece of the electric-pickup-truck pie.
The impending invasion of the pickups
Aside from a few archaic companies, the automotive industry has either already occupied a solid spot in the electric market or is preparing to make an entrance. There’s the Hyundai Kona, the JAC e-S2, the BMW i3, the Jaguar i-Pace and so on.
And then there’s Tesla.
With the unveiling of the Cybertruck, Tesla has shown the world that there’s an untouched market yet: the big, loud, born-in-the-USA pickup truck can also be electric. Soon enough, the first «but-we’re-already-working-on-it-too» companies made their voices heard. Rivian, for example, with its R1T pickup, which is scheduled for release in late 2020. The Cybertruck will be unleashed onto US roads anno 2022. First impressions suggest it’ll have a tough time getting road approval in Switzerland.
Also in 2022, the F-150 is expected to make its electric debut. Unlike the Ford Mustang Mach-E, the electric F-150 is still waiting for its official name. But «F-150 Mach-E» sounds good, in my humble opinion.
Once pickups are revolutionized, trucks are next in line. Tesla is already working on its Semi truck. The Nikola One is already lined up to preventively steal Tesla’s thunder. Hah, hah. Nikola Tesla. Cheeky. I like it.
Between marketing and tradition
Other manufacturers are either creating a separate lineup of e-cars or, in VW’s case, buying up entire companies. But not Ford – Ford is forking over its array of iconic model names to bolster the market value of their electric vehicles. Like in the case of the Ford Mustang Mach-E. The Mustang single-handedly defined an entire vehicle category: pony cars. These are roadworthy cars that are optimised for performance and looks. In other words: the Mustang invented the «cool car».
If this «cool car» now becomes electric, it’s way more imposing than if Ford were to bring out some «Ford ElectroVolt», or whatever. It’s marketing on another level. And Ford sure is playing it up.
Yes, this video is corny. But that makes it all the more effective. The narrative’s logic is conclusive, makes you want more, and somehow you forget that the ultra-cool, sporty pony car has morphed into a kind of SUV.
Source: Ford.com
Source: Ford.com
The F-150 Mach-E bears the name of the enterprise’s «biggest moneymaker». The electric version of the loud, large and mighty truck is due to take a leaf out of its petrol-powered predecessor’s book.
Of course, marketing alone is not enough. Ford has to invest, because the technology under the hood is expensive. There are no open standards yet. Open source engines – now there’s a fun thought. In terms of marketing strategy, Ford upgrading its Rouge Complex seems worthwhile. For the price of 700 million US dollars, a portion of the 92-year-old manufacturing plant is being converted for the production of e-vehicles. Is this a risky endeavour? Sure is. But with their naming scheme and their consistent reference to tradition, Ford is doing its best to minimise the risk two years ahead of the launch. And their statement that «it’ll be at least exactly the same as, but actually definitely better than the petrol-powered original» seems convincing.
Journalist. Author. Hacker. A storyteller searching for boundaries, secrets and taboos – putting the world to paper. Not because I can but because I can’t not.
E-mobility
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