Ford confirmed Thursday morning that the next-generation Super Duty will be electrified, likely making it the first heavy-duty pickup of its kind. Although details are still sparse, the Blue Oval announced that Super Duty production is expanding to its Oakville Assembly Complex in Ontario, Canada, which is a strategic move. This allows the company to add “multi-energy technology to the next generation of Super Duty trucks, giving customers more freedom of choice and supporting Ford’s electrification plans.”
Bringing “multi-energy technology” to Super Duty pickups sounds a lot like hybridization. If that’s the case, it could beat General Motors and Ram to the market depending on when it’s released. At this point, no other heavy-duty pickup truck manufacturers have even announced a hybrid yet.
There’s no word on exactly how such a hybrid system will work but a setup similar to the F-150 PowerBoost’s seems like a safe bet. That would sandwich an electric motor between the engine and transmission to add output and efficiency, drawing power from a modestly sized battery pack. In the case of the F-150 Powerboost, it’s a 41-horsepower motor and a 1.5-kilowatt-hour battery. It’s unclear if Ford would make hybrid versions of both gas and diesel trucks, or just pick one. Regardless of the powertrain’s specifics, a hybrid Super Duty would also provide a mega mobile power supply, letting users plug in power tools and run entire worksites, just like Ford’s other electrified pickups.
While the term “multi-energy” is vague enough to potentially include a fully electric Super Duty, that seems highly unlikely. To handle a Super Duty’s towing and hauling tasks, it would need a massive battery pack, which would only continue to add weight, cost, and packaging challenges. Additionally, for it to tow a gooseneck or fifth-wheel trailer, it would almost definitely need a solid rear axle. At the moment, there aren’t any electric solid rear axle setups on the market. Ford, Magna, and ZF have already designed patents for them, but they seem pretty far off at the moment—likely in the 2030s.
Hybrid Super Duty pickups aren’t the only electrified trucks that could come from Ontario, either. Ford CEO Jim Farley also announced that the brand will be making electric three-row SUVs, hinting at an Expedition EV.
Ford’s Super Duty production expansion into Canada begins in 2026, so we could see heavy-duty hybrid pickups by the end of the decade.
Got tips? Send ’em to tips@thedrive.com