Ford is not just the best-selling truck company in the U.S., but also an innovator across all segments. When the brand announced it would be attempting to manufacture a full-size electrified pickup that Americans would actually buy, the world waited on pins and needles.

Expectations for a powerful, yet efficient truck were small. But in true Ford fashion, the company delivered with the 2021 Ford F-150 PowerBoost Hybrid, which is changing the game and breaking barriers.

Ford changes the game with the 2021 F-150 PowerBoost Hybrid

Electrified vehicles have not often been associated with power, durability, and work capability. Even with EV technology growing leaps and bounds within recent years, electrified powertrains can only do so much.

This isn’t the first hybrid truck, but it is groundbreaking none the less. In fact, as experts at The Drive pointed out, the 2021 Ford F-150 PowerBoost Hybrid “is the first to maximize the potential of battery assistance both in terms of power output and onboard electric supply.”

As the top-selling truck brand in the country, Ford’s leap into the hybrid truck market could have drastic effects. In addition to setting the standard in which all other truck brands will strive to reach, experts at CNET say that Ford’s hybrid trucks “could single-handedly have a bigger net effect on America’s fossil-fuel consumption than any other vehicle,” even if hybrid sales only take up a small percentage of the brand’s overall truck sales.

The debut of the new F-150 hybrid could not only convert even some of the most avid truck fans to the electric world, but also make enormous strides toward an all-electric future at the same time.

No compromises necessary with the Ford F-150

Ford invested an enormous amount of energy into designing the 2021 Ford F-150 PowerBoost Hybrid. For those who believe hybrids aren’t capable of the horsepower and torque a full-size pickup truck needs, Ford designed a new powertrain from the ground up. And it’s not the mild, battery-pack you’d expect.

According to Ford, the 2021 Ford F-150 PowerBoost Hybrid is powered by an impressive, 3.5-liter, six-cylinder hybrid engine, making an unheard-of 430 hp and 570 lb-ft of torque.

This is paired to a 10-speed automatic transmission that is “specially modified to include an integrated 33 kW electric motor.” The 430-hp hybrid F-150 maintains the truck’s capabilities, offering a maximum payload rating of 2,120 lbs and a maximum towing capacity of 12,700 lbs. 

Even with all that power, the hybrid F-150 earns an EPA-estimated 24 MPG both in the city and on the highway, making it one of the most efficient pickup across all segments.

Better still is the F-150 Hybrid’s estimated 700-mile range. And even though the newest Ford may look only mildly refreshed over its predecessor, its almost entirely rebuilt.

The 2021 Ford F-150 Hybrid also astonishingly comes with additional power for whenever you need it, with the Pro Power Onboard generator standard on all PowerBoost models. This 2.4 kW generator comes with a multitude of plug-ins and can be run for a maximum of 32 hours on a full tank of gas, to power nearly any electric tool or device.

Will the Ford F-150 PowerBoost Hybrid be the king of a new, electrified segment?

Experts at CNET state, “while others have tried and largely failed to spark interest in gas-electric trucks,” the 2021 Ford F-150 PowerBoost Hybrid “stands the best chance of converting the masses” to an electric truck.

As America’s best-selling truck brand, the stakes are high for Ford’s new hybrid pickup to set the standard for the future of the electrified truck segment. As the entire world moves toward an electric future, Ford is smart to slowly dip its toes into a partially electric truck. And the 2021 Ford F-150 PowerBoost Hybrid appears to be a hard competitor to beat.