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Paul Gover31 May 2021
NEWS

Ford Australia’s first EV firms

But will it be the Ford Mustang Mach-E, F-150 Lightning, Evos or something else?

Ford Australia is fast closing in on its first electric vehicle – and there will be more than one.

The blue oval brand is keeping exact details a closely-guarded secret, but the smart money is on the Ford Mustang Mach-E with a local plug-in date early in 2022.

The plug-in hybrid version of the latest Ford Escape will be Ford Australia’s first electrified vehicle, but the arrival of Ford’s answer to the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid has been delayed until early 2022 due to battery overheating issues and subsequent production delays.

But there is much more to come from Ford in terms of full battery-electric models. Ford already offers a range of EVs overseas, including the Mach-E and, soon, another dedicated pure-electric model in the Ford Evos.

Ford Evos

Ironically, the Evos is being touted as a zero-emissions successor to the discontinued Ford Mondeo, a plug-in hybrid version of which was originally due to be Ford Australia’s first electrified model and a direct rival to the fleet-friendly Toyota Camry Hybrid as long ago as 2014.

For the US, Ford has also announced the game-changing, battery-powered new Ford F-150 Lightning pick-up, including the Pro commercial version aimed at tradies, and there are reports of EV versions of the Bronco and Ranger, and all-new Ford EVs based on Volkswagen’s MEB platform.

When we asked Ford Australia chief Andrew Birkic about the Bronco and F-150 last month, he again ruled them both out for local release due to the lack of right-hand drive production, but he was less dismissive of the mustang Mach-E and Evos.

Mach-E tipped to be Ford's first EV in Australia

“That vehicle [Evos] will be in China and we have nothing to share on that vehicle coming to Australia,” Birkic told carsales.

“Nothing to share on the Mach-E. There is incredibly strong demand [overseas] for that product,” he added.

“We will start with the Escape PHEV and we will have some [electrification] news to share at some point and it will include BEV.”

Now, more news about Ford Australia’s electrification rollout has been leaked by Jet Charge, the EV charging infrastructure company, as Ford negotiates for a local network plug-in partner.

A Jet Charge source revealed to carsales that Ford Australia has already committed to its first fully-electric vehicle, but could not reveal details. 

F-150 Lightning could revolutionise tradies working off-grid

However, the discussion included the Mustang Mach-E and the F-150 Lightning, which we sought official response from Ford Australia about.

“We’ll share more about our local [EV] rollout plans soon. Our company is already making big changes so we will be carbon-neutral by 2050,” said Ford Australia spokesman, Matt Moran.

“Ford Australia’s EV line-up will grow quickly, first with our Escape PHEV SUV and soon with other BEVs and electrified models. We’ll share details about these in due course.”

The Ford Mustang Mach-E, a unique SUV with a Mustang flavour and not an electrified sports car, is already produced in RHD and available in the UK.

When it made its global debut in November 2019, chief engineer Ron Heiser told carsales the Mach-E could come to Australia as soon as 2020.

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“Yes, we will be launching Mach-E in left-hand drive and right-hand drive. It will be available late next year [2020] in right-hand drive,” he said at the time.

The Ford Mustang Mach-E is priced from $US42,895 ($A55,500) in North America, excluding the $US7500 federal tax credit. The bespoke electric SUV can hit 60mph (97kmh) in as little as 3.5 seconds in top-shelf GT form, and has a range of up to 490km in Extended Range RWD form.

The biggest challenges for Ford when it comes to securing supplies of Mach-E vehicles could be strong demand in the US and Europe, and production constraints during the global semi-conductor chip shortage.

For the ground-breaking new Ford F-150 Lightning to be sold in Australia, it would first need to be produced in RHD, which has so far been ruled out for the 14th-generation F-Series.

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The all-new Ford Evos, meantime, could be dark horse chance for Ford Australia, via China.

Either way, without getting into specifics, Moran was clear on Ford Australia’s path to electrification.

“Electric vehicles are a big part of our future, both in Australia and our other markets: Globally, Ford is investing at least $US30 billion (almost $A39b) in electrified vehicles through 2025,” he said.

“We’re pleased to see a growing appetite for EVs in Australia, and we’re taking a considered approach to electrification to make sure we get our offering right for our customers.

“Ford owners are very clear that they expect toughness, performance and capability from our vehicles, and so our focus is on offering EVs to meet those expectations.”

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Written byPaul Gover
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