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A new day brings new Ford Bronco news. The 2021 Ford Bronco has dominated the automotive news cycle since 2020. Between bummer delays and exciting new features, the Bronco and Bronco Sport have all 4×4 fan’s eyes affixed on the boxy orange Ford off-roaders. In the newest Bronco dish, Ford’s CEO made an oddly cryptic tweet about a Bronco EV. 

The new 2021 Ford Bronco specs make running through the dunes much easier
2021 Ford Bronco | Ford
two 2021 Broncos driving out into the desert
Double Ford Broncos | Ford

It’s probably fair to say that the 2021 Ford Bronco is already a smash hit. According to Gear Patrol, the Bronco has already amassed 125,000 pre-orders before production even began.

Although the Bronco is pretty clearly popular, many people critiqued Ford for making a new 4×4 that didn’t come in a hybrid model, at least, much less electric. 

As noted by Gear Patrol, one critique went so far as to call the new Bronco an “obscene monument to climate denialism.” 

Is Ford making an electric Ford Bronco? 

Ford CEO, Jim Farley, replied to a tweet from a Tesla fan that inquired about the lack of electric power options for the next-generation Ford Broncos. The comment was equally as accusatory as it was inquisitive. 

tweet response from Ford CEO about the possibility of an electric Ford Bronco
Tweet from Jim Farley | Twitter screen shot

Farley’s response was wonderfully cryptic, leaving everyone scratching their heads in a collective, “Wait, what?” 

To the question of why Ford doesn’t have an electric Ford Bronco, Farley responds, “What makes you think we don’t?” This response feels more like a top pentagon official answering a UFO question why they thought the mic was off. 

Although Farley’s response is delightfully cryptic, unless he is outright lying, it would seem Ford plans to give the Tesla fan and others the electric Ford Bronco they want. 

Will there be a hybrid Bronco first? 

Talks of a hybrid power plant Bronco has been swimming around the web for a little while now. The heat really got turned up when a leaked photo of a Bronco instrument cluster showed a mode called “EV Coaching.” Such a mode would only make sense on a hybrid as opposed to a full EV. 

The rear 3/4 view of a gray 2021 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4xe in the desert mountains
2021 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4xe rear 3/4 | Jeep

Like Jeep, Ford will likely choose to introduce a hybrid model long before a full EV. The Jeep Wrangler 4xe dropped long before the all-electric Jeep Wrangler Magneto prototype. A normal internal combustion engine (ICE) transition to a hybrid version is a much smaller leap than ICE to a full-blown EV. 

What’s next for the Ford Bronco? 

Seeing as Ford still has yet to get on track with the 2021 Ford Bronco and Bronco Sport, the expectation to see a fully electric Ford Bronco or even a hybrid seems like a big ask. Rest assured,  the hybrid and EV Bronco are coming; it just may take a little while. 

Luckily for Jeep, it got its BEV trucks out and in the world when it did. The Bronco was looking like it would decimate the Wrangler’s kingdom, but the lack of hybrid and EV platform for the Bronco might keep it from dealing the killing blow to dominate the 4×4 game. 

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Staff Writer

Peter Corn

Peter Corn joined MotorBiscuit as an Autos Writer in 2020 and brings his quippiest Southern drawl to our table. Having, in his words, “helped” rebuild his dad’s 1959 MGA as a small child, Peter grew up loving vintage cars and trucks, adding motorcycles and all things 4×4 as he went.

Peter earned a Bachelor of Archeology and Creative Writing from the University of Alabama and has since melded his love of driving with storytelling. His voice, full of pleasantries and witticisms, can be enjoyed in The Gentleman Racer, The Vintagent, Gear Patrol, Iron & Air Magazine, and Classic Car Club Magazine.

Peter is a co-founder of both The Colloquial Magazine and The Fire Escape, the official podcast of The Colloquial. In an effort to increase his abilities in “ramping anything with wheels,” Peter has taken track training from Classic Car Club Manhattan and attended Rally School at Monticello Motor Club, where he was coached by eight-time Performance Rally motorsport champion Chris Duplessis.

On a lucky day, we get to hear Peter tell the story of his first car, a jewel of a 1958 Ford Fairlane, into which he dumped more time and money than made sense, but he has no regrets.