Zac Quinn 
As the automotive world is pushing rapidly towards electrification for everything, including light-duty trucks, it seems nothing is safe from an electric future. However, that’s not the case for heavy-duty trucks, which are among the few vehicles still receiving significant investments towards the development of more powerful gasoline and diesel engines. Although we likely won’t see the big trucks lose ICE engines anytime soon, Ford executives have clarified that Super Duty would opt for a hydrogen powertrain before they ever go electric.
Ford Super Duty: Hydrogen Over Electric
“If you’re pulling 10,000 pounds, an electric truck is not the right solution,” Ford CEO Jim Farley stated while speaking with the media at the 2023 Super Duty unveiling in Kentucky. The vast majority of F-Series Super Duty customers are using their trucks to tow over 10,000 pounds, which would be difficult to do with an EV. According to Automotive News, Farley continued to say that the Super Duty will “probably go hydrogen fuel cell before it goes pure electric.”
Farley also noted that even as California plans to ban gasoline-powered vehicle sales after 2035, it’s making exceptions for heavy-duty pickups. Giving the company confidence that sales of the trucks won’t be limited in the future. Moreover, Ford Motor Company has been working with various fleet companies on experimental, hydrogen-powered Super Duty trucks.
Ford’s truck group marketing manager, Todd Eckert, also commented about the heavy-duty trucks and revealed that buyers hadn’t shown much interest in EVs. Instead, they’re focused on what can get the job done the best. “We haven’t seen a huge clamoring,” Eckert said. When it comes to this space, customers require “productivity, capability, and efficiency,” saying that gas and diesel powertrains serve those needs “right now.”
Ford Super Duty trucks are commonly used in no-frills industries such as mining, construction, towing, and utility work or as emergency response vehicles. Those fields need the very best to ensure productivity remains unhindered.
