Would the Ford Ranger PHEV actually have enough juice for your commute?
Audio By Carbonatix
A plug-in hybrid midsize pickup truck sounds like the best of both worlds. You plug in when you get home at night, and when you wake up you’re ready to commute on electric power only. You only fill-up your tank on a roadtrip, and in that case you have room for four adults and plenty of gear. In the case of the Ford Ranger PHEV (which is not currently available in the U.S.), it may indeed be too good to be true. Early tests show half the electric-only range Ford predicted.
The Ford Ranger PHEV range
Ford Ranger announced a PHEV and got many commuters wondering, Could I commute on electric only? The automaker announced its was aiming for a 27 mile range. But the small 11.8kWh battery pack it selected had many scratching their heads.
The website 4×4 Australia got its hands on one of the first Ford Ranger PHEVs ever sold. The resulting test was underwhelming. The crew topped off the battery pack, set the truck in “Auto EV” mode, and started rolling. Just 16 and a half miles later, its battery was depleted and it kicked on the internal combustion engine.
So, if you have a commute under eight miles, you might be able to do your daily driving on electric power alone. But forget about running errands on the way home without using some gasoline.
If your workplace has chargers, or you could have one installed, you could double that number. So if your commute is 15 miles one-way, you could charge at work and get home without using gasoline. But depleting and charging that battery pack twice every day might wear it out quickly.
According to Consumer Affairs, the average U.S. driver covers 37 miles every day. This may be one reason Ford opted not to offer its first-get Ranger PHEV in the U.S.
What PHEV has the longest range?
If you have a longer commute and are dreaming of only buying gasoline for your weekend trips, consider the Toyota Prius Prime. The SE trim claims a 44 mile electric-only range. A more expensive alternative is the Mercedes-Benz GLC 350e which can reportedly run 54 miles on electric power alone.
The closest vehicle to the Ford Ranger PHEV currently available in the U.S. may be the Jeep Wrangler 4xe. It has a 17 kWh battery. Owners say that their all-electric range varies between 15 and 28 miles. The EPA estimates its range at 21 miles. In the video embedded below, you can see reviewers hit 26.7 miles of electric range in the Wrangler 4xe.
