Here’s why the Ford Ranger Raptor could become a plug-in hybrid. #ford #raptor #utes
Ford is considering turning the Ranger Raptor into a plug-in hybrid. And here is why. One in five Ranger sales is of the Raptor, a big twin turbo petrol V6 with big power and big CO2 emissions. And under the reelected Albanesei government’s new CO2 laws, it’s a big headache for Ford to sell too many Ranger Raptors. Simply put, it’s too popular under Australia’s new CO2 laws. And every sale of a Raptor puts Ford closer to a massive multi-million dollar fine for breaching those new CO2 limits. What’s the easy solution? Turning the Ranger Raptor into a plug-in hybrid. And Ford already has the parts sitting right there on the shelf. In the US market F-150, the vehicle is available with a turbocharged petrol V6 engine paired with an electric motor and small battery. And that system can be beefed up and turned into a plug-in hybrid with a short development time. That would still mean circa 300 kW of power for the Ranger Raptor, if not more, but this time fed through a V6 engine and an electric motor, probably mounted in the transmission of the vehicle. On the CO2 side, making the Raptor into a plug-in hybrid would slash the official emissions of the vehicle by up to 2/3, which would turn the Raptor from a headache for Ford into a benefit for Ford because it would be well beneath the legal limit of CO2 for new ute sales here in Australia, stretching out to the next few years. So, don’t be surprised if you see the Ranger Raptor turned into a plug-in hybrid.
