During Wednesday’s Ford+ shareholder event, the Blue Oval announced a pair of dedicated EV platforms that are coming to market by 2025. Expect to see a unique full-size electric pickup base, apparently named TE1 according to Reuters‘ sources, and flexible architecture for battery-powered all-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive vehicles, including commercial vans and what looks like a familiar off-roader.
Ford North America Product Communications Manager Mike Levine tweeted a few screenshots from the presentation, and there’s a lot to glean from the bold blue silhouettes here. There appears to be an electric Transit city van, a battery-only truck that might preview the next-gen F-150 Lightning, and a boxy SUV with a rear-mounted spare tire. Hmm, what new Ford model seems to fit the bill for that last one?
Now, before we dive deeper into the possibility of an electric Bronco, let’s discuss what we know for certain about Ford’s electric near-future. As part of the Ford+ event, the automaker confirmed an increased investment of more than $30 billion in electrification, including battery development, by 2025. This tracks with the recent announcement that Ford is forming a new partnership with SK Innovation to build its EV batteries in the United States.
What’s more, Ford expects 40 percent of all vehicles it sells to be electric by the turn of the decade. That means popular models like the Explorer as well as commercial and government vehicles, too, which we’ll start to see soon with the E-Transit and F-150 Lightning Pro.
With all that out in the open, it’s time to discuss the possibility of an electric Bronco within the next four years. Ford CEO Jim Farley has already hinted that, yeah, one is in the works, but he never mentioned how soon it would arrive. No one has come out saying that a battery-electric Bronco will go on sale by 2025; however, this clip of Ford’s Chief Product Platform and Operations Officer Hau Thai-Tang standing in front of a Bronco-esque profile while discussing that very deadline seems indicative.
Also, with dealers planning special expansions to specifically host Bronco models in the future, it’d make sense to capitalize on that off-shoot brand potential.
It is, of course, possible that the Bronco EV will come at a later date while the platform it’s rumored to be based on rolls out in 2025. Part of that may depend on the public’s reception of the electric F-150 Lightning, which has already notched 70,000 reservations since its reveal last week. Ford knows it must cater to its more traditional buyers, which will mean proving its most popular models, like the F-Series, are good enough when powered by electricity alone.
That could dictate its decision to roll out a silent Bronco off-roader sooner, or later.
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