Electric Ford F-150 Lightning under consideration for Australia

Remanufactured exact-hand-power Ford F-150 vehicles will be handiest weeks some distance off from customer shipping, nonetheless in exact Aussie trend, we’re already asking for more.

Can we’ve a paunchy electrical RHD F-150 Lightning? How a couple of hybrid model? And the place apart the hell’s the Raptor for us? Why does The usa receive the total frosty stuff?

The message from Ford Australia’s president and CEO Andrew Birkic is: “Enable us to land the plane on this predominant,” referencing the big quantity of labor and investment already required to receive the first tranche of remanufactured RHD F-150 into Australian showrooms.

First customer deliveries of those $106,950 F-150 XLTs and $139,950 F-150 Lariats – every the utilization of Ford’s 298kW/678Nm 3.5-litre EcoBoost twin-turbo V6 petrol engine – are due in early November.

But with seek data from and sales soaring in North The usa for the paunchy-electrical F-150 Lightning, and Australian hobby bubbling away, when can also honest we search for this electrified brute on our shores?

“With Lightning, they’re focusing on that in the US,” Birkic instructed Australian media. “Are we looking out at it? Yes. Is there a confirmed product programme the place apart I’ve rung up Trevor (Negus, of RMA Car, which does the RHD remanufacturing) to notify I need one other (production) line? No.”

Whereas it could probably also honest now not be forthcoming, Birkic mentioned: “That will reach in the fullness of time. We favor to support out extra prognosis, and we exact favor to keep we are able to carry out the remanufacturing.”

Making clear the petrol F-150s about to be presented keep profitable and quality meets expectations is the important thing focal level. “Let’s carry out that, then we’ll cling a memoir about Lightning,” mentioned Birkic.

Why can’t the F-150 RHD conversion be reduce and paste?

Chasing Vehicles had the different to detect the big workshop the place apart Ford F-150s are being remanufactured at RMA Car north of Melbourne, end to Ford’s feeble assembly line at Broadmeadows.

RMA is a Thailand-primarily primarily based mostly company, already accountable for making improvements to over 100,000 vehicles globally.

And asserting ‘remanufacturing’ is now not hyperbole. The procedure is laborious, costly and, from what we seen, deeply spectacular in relation to innovation and quality regulate.

For the F-150’s conversion, there are roughly 500 new or modified aspects required.

That entails the likes of a new forged magnesium RHD inferior bar beam, new race, new electrical harnesses, a modified RHD steering rack (from the Ranger Raptor), new shifter assembly, new brake pedal assembly, new heating and ventilation machine, new towbar assembly, modified headlamps and modified seats and door trims.

Taking on a bunch of models would carry extra ranges of complexity. There’d be more remanufacturing and testing – all takes time and cash.

In North The usa the F-150 can even be had as a 320kW/773Nm Plump Hybrid V6. You’d suspect this would possibly maybe occasionally maybe maybe presumably be next top to rework to RHD, with the hard work already accomplished on the F-150 with 3.5-litre V6 petrol.

Its attraction is a gasoline economy pick of roughly 9.8L/100km mixed, next to the non-hybrid we’re going in Australia, which returns 12.5L/100km.

The Raptor with its specialist bespoke aspects would possibly maybe maybe presumably be more challenging all all over again to remanufacture for RHD Australia, and clearly the all-electrical Lightning would possibly maybe maybe presumably be an fully a bunch of animal.

Model year changes keep extra challenges

One more self-discipline comes with Ford North The usa updating its F-150 yearly, generally with important changes.

It’s been The usa’s most inviting-promoting automobile for decades, with some 640,000 F-Series vehicles discovering new homes there in 2022.

Model year changes from the Dearborn, Michigan factory (the place apart our F-150s are at the initiating constructed) will necessitate changes for Australian variations remanufactured domestically. Once more, more complexity added.

Then there’s testing. The F-150s dwelling for our market persisted around 130,000km of local review. Introducing a bunch of models would suggest extra rounds of the the same.

“It’s bought to be commercially viable, and also you’ve bought to scale it so it makes it vital,” mentioned Birkic. “Engineering handy resource is precious, and funds are precious.”

Whereas we’re baying for an elevated fluctuate of F-150s, Ford Australia’s message is it’s centered on keeping it straightforward for now. But it’s keeping a extraordinarily start thoughts about the long flee.

“We’ll cling conversations with our seniors in the US and in Bangkok (RMA Car) about what’s imaginable,” mentioned Birkic. “Very clearly we favor to receive this exact. That’s our total focal level.”

But it’s not probably to push apart dash for food for, in specific, the F-150 Lightning. There’s in the suggest time no electrical paunchy-dimension pickup on the Australian market.

A exact-hand-power transformed example was as soon as seen in Brisbane earlier this month, this 337kW/1050Nm XLT 4×4 grade with 515km electrical fluctuate it seems a non-public import and now not linked to Ford Australia.