The ink is hardly dry, so to speak, on the last announcement of a Ford electric F-150 and already they automaker has rolled out another option to satisfy another chunk of the enormous market share of American truck buyers.
The Blue Oval’s latest green offering is the new Ford Maverick, a hybrid that starts at just $19,995, about half the price of the F-150 Lighting.
The hybrid outfit consists of a 162 hp, 2.5 liter, four-cylinder engine with a 126 hp, permanent magnet electric motor that together can provide 255 lbs. feet of torque and almost 200 hp to the front wheels. This standard setup allows for 2,000 lbs. of maximum tow, 1,500 of maximum carry, but 40 mpg city.
Ford’s EcoBoost option can be fitted for another thousand dollars to take these statistics up to 250 hp with 4,000 lbs. towing capacity.
New construction methods allowed Ford to build a chassis that’s three feet shorter than the F-150, significantly reducing the blind spots, while a tailgate that sits 30 inches off the ground should allow shorter people to load the 33 cubic feet bed with little difficulty.
The bed is designed to accommodate oft-used construction essentials like 4x8s. Inside are 12 volt power outlets, which can be upgraded to 110 volts, and slots into which owners can insert wooden beams to act as dividers to keep loose cargo more secured.
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Inside the cabin a variety of triangular cubbies hold different accessory configurations, like additional cup holders or phone recharge stations, for which Ford owns 3D printing plans. They’re offering to share these plans to any customers who want them for 3D-printing their own triangular modules.
“Maverick challenges the status quo and the stereotypes of what a pickup truck can be,” Todd Eckert, Ford truck group marketing manager, said according to CNN. “We believe it will be compelling to a lot of people who never before considered a truck.”
Preorders are available now, with deliveries slated to begin in the fall.
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