With the 2021 F-150 PowerBoost Hybrid, Ford is crossing two worlds together that do not typically meet. The car giant released a five-minute video on YouTube to showcase all the power in their latest pickup truck to celebrate this introduction. The video was a gearhead’s dream, combining the rugged imagery of a standard pickup ad with an environmentally friendly subtext. 

Introducing the 2021 F-150

The video starts the way that one might expect any pickup ad to start. A truck driving through a desert wasteland straight out of a John Wayne movie. However, as the voiceover kicks in, we learn this is not your average pickup truck. Pickups are among the worst polluters of the environment due to their size and power, but this F-150 looks to change that forever. 

As the dramatic music kicks in, chief program engineer Craig Schmatz runs down why the F-150 PowerBoost Hybrid is going to change the way people view hybrids forever. Harkening back to the classic “Ford Tough” mantra, Schmatz explains that while Hybrid’s might often be considered to be in the weaker, less-powerful line of vehicles, this one is the real deal. 

The chief engineer ensures that while it is harder to get a hybrid up to Ford Tough standards, the company took every step to ensure that the new truck would be precisely what the skeptics want from their pickups. 

Built Ford tough 

To show the truck’s off-road capabilities, the ad took off to Borrego Springs, CA, and let it experience some of the country’s harshest conditions. The truck appears to pass the tests with flying colors, driving through the hill-laden terrain with ease as another engineer discusses its capabilities. Next, they looked at the durability. 

To test the durability, an automated driver took the truck through the Michigan proving grounds to, once again, verify that the new truck was built Ford Tough. For months, they drove the truck through potholes, bad roads, and other potential hardships that the driver might face ensuring that it will not bring the car down. It passed with flying colors. 

Next, there was a battery. A truck might have all of the exterior toughness in the world, but if it doesn’t have a formidable battery, that won’t matter. From the battery’s ability to withstand the force of off-road driving to its longevity in more standard conditions, the battery experiences a torture test just as it would in a standard pickup. To add to this, the truck also acts as a generator for those who use the truck in outdoor settings. 

Carrying the weight

Of course, many truck drivers choose an F-150 because of its towing capabilities. With a hybrid engine, it makes sense that they’d worry about the new model. Luckily, they went to Davis Dam in Arizona to test the truck’s strength in a grueling 11-mile desert stretch. They loaded up a trailer with 12,000 pounds and tried it just as they would a standard pickup. It passed with flying colors. 

The truck towed the entire trailer up a mostly uphill path in the middle of the Arizona desert. The end of the video is meant to show the audience that while they might not put the truck through the torture that Ford did, Ford tested its newest product in the harshest conditions in the country shows that it should last through the average wear and tear. 

The 2021 F-150 Powerboost Hybrid is expected on the market by the end of the year. Combining the rigorous trials of the average pickup with the smoothness of an average hybrid, it’s sure to be a favorite among those looking to keep up the Ford Tough standard while going further into the 21st-century.