Ford CEO Jim Farley Outlines Where EREV Tech Makes Sense

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Ford CEO Jim Farley Outlines Where EREV Tech Makes Sense

By Brett Foote
February 12, 2026 12:02 pm


Extended range electric vehicles (EREVs) are a pretty new concept in the automotive world, combining large battery packs with electric motors and gas generators that serve one purpose - to feed power back into those battery packs when one needs to travel longer distances. EREVs are being hailed as the perfect middle-ground solution between traditional gas-powered vehicles and pure EVs, and Ford is aiming to add them to a select number of vehicles in its lineup, as CEO Jim Farley recently touched on.

"But that's only part of our strategy. In addition to that, we're betting on hybrid across our lineup and EREV where it makes sense for our duty cycle, like large trucks where towing is a real important application and both FHEV and pure electric will definitely not work," Farley said during the automaker's Q4 2025 earnings call with investors. "So we're looking to make CO2 reductions across our lineup, but we're doing it in a very efficient way."

For now at least, The Blue Oval has only confirmed that it has one specific EREV model on the way - a revamped version of the previously all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning. That pickup is expected to offer a total range of up to 700 miles, when factoring in the gas generator. However, that gas powerplant won't drive the wheels - that task is reserved for the electric motors, meaning that the EREV will drive a lot like a regular old electric vehicle, with quiet operation and rapid acceleration.

Otherwise, Farley has hinted that EREV powertrains will be reserved for the company's larger SUVs and pickups - and even the Ford Explorer, potentially - which makes sense, as pure electric versions of those vehicles require massive battery packs to achieve reasonable range statistics, and are quite pricey as a result - not to mention the fact that they lose considerable range when towing. Judging by Farley's comments here, EREV powertrains may also be limited to body-on-frame vehicles, and perhaps only full-size ones, at that.

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[davehu]

I can't disagree with anything in that article. But I sure am glad I have myself a Lightning. It suits me well.

 

[Altivec]

A once upon a time wise man said "half of Americans drive less that 150miles per day". I belong to that category but Ford has decided to no longer offer the best truck for that huge market. That's fine. They decided it's better to cater to the other 50% of that market which already has a solution (ice/hybrids). I still can't understand why they can't do both and cater to 100% of the market but clearly they have smart people over there that think half is better than all.

Problematic, complex EREV's will be a short lived chapter in automotive history. Solid state batteries are around the corner and the rest of the world is accelerating EV adoption. There is no going back now, except at Ford in the US. Not having an EV version of your best selling vehicle will go down as an iconic moment in Ford's historic downfall.

 

[Tony Burgh]

Ever wonder why diesel locomotives run on steel rails and massive rail beds?
6000 pounds for a half ton pickup is already pushing it.

 

[NW Ontario Ford Lightning]

I believe Ford is 'doing what they need to do' keeping the Electric drive train alive and on assembly lines - in the form they need to to be to sell them in the market they cover, - so that later when better cheaper lighter, faster charging batteries come to the market, at the price point that will be needed, Ford will again pivot that electric power train to the new tech. It's a tough market out there.

 

[TruckOwner1]

Farley can make all the product shifts he wants, it won't fix their sales problem. Ford has been selling ice for 100 years. Dealers are comfortable with that offering. Anything that makes them uncomfortable will lead them to continue pushing customers away from anything that is different. If Ford corporate wants success with anything other than ICE, it will require them to heavily invest in secret shoppers that identify dealerships that sabotage non-ICE sales and hold the dealership accountable. This will result in many dealerships losing their franchise status, which will be a huge win for Ford!

 

[bmwhitetx]

Ever wonder why diesel locomotives run on steel rails and massive rail beds?
6000 pounds for a half ton pickup is already pushing it.

Also of note a diesel locomotive is kinda an EREV - just no batteries. The diesel engine drives a generator that generates electricity to power electric traction motors. There is no mechanical linkage between the diesel engine and the wheels.

There are diesel locomotives that are purely mechanical but I’m referring to the common locomotives you see today aka diesel-electric locomotives.

 

[chriserx]

Ever wonder why diesel locomotives run on steel rails and massive rail beds?
6000 pounds for a half ton pickup is already pushing it.

It's for a blue cruise that works everywhere, right?

 

[hturnerfamily]

What I see in the future, with potential sales of EREV vehicles to those who have always been hesitant to own a 'pure' EV, is the transfer of that hesitation into a 'pure' LOVE for driving an All-Electric powertrain vehicle, making them EV Lovers, in the end... they will then start to HATE for that Engine Generator sitting in front of them to have to crank up and 'help' them go the distance... with it's loud whirring and 'electric generating' sounds, when they were just driving so quietly for the first 100 miles... oh my.

This is EXACTLY what happened with my wife's '22 KIA SORENTO PHEV several years ago, when she was 'hesitant' to own any Pure EV vehicle that could suddenly just 'die' ... after a while of commuting 60 miles to work and back everyday, with the car driving a large part of that in QUIET and SMOOTH EV Battery Mode, she started to become annoyed and bitter about the then 'cranking' of that loud and obnoxious engine in front of her for the rest of the drive... oh my.
She now drives a '24 KIA EV9, the same three-row vehicle in an all-electric version, for over 35,000 miles, and has NEVER yet complained about it. She now gets it.

 

[ryun]

EREV's make so much sense to me it's how I thought hybrids like the prius worked for the longest time.

I will choose an EV without a generator on board for the foreseeable future, but this path keeps the dealers happy (with needed maintenance on the generator), gets more dealers exposed to working with battery powered vehicles, and gets people to try out EVs for the first time who wouldn't think to do so otherwise. Anyone can plug in a level 1 charger (which is sufficient for the vast majority of drivers) so the education barrier for savings is lowered dramatically.

It's about 10-15 years late but better late than never I guess.

 

[Dan C]

I don't see how Farley kept his job after the miss managed lightning and Ford EV program. The huge financial losses are on him not EV's

 

[F150ROD]

All I am going to say is that the world keeps moving forward. Ford and others to me seem to be reacting to the here and now. EV's aren't going anywhere, they will eventually be all that you can purchase whether it be because they are cost effective or other issues make it a no brainer.

It's the best daily available when you have home charging available. Mandates did not help.

 

[Lytning]

I predict the reliability issues with the EREV will be even greater than those now experienced by F-150 ICE and BEV owners, since the EREV will have both ICE and EV powertrains. @Ford Motor Company can't design and manufacture a reliable lightbar, an extremely simple component which has no moving parts. In my opinion, reliability is the greatest issue with Ford sales.

 

[Jim Lewis]

EREVs are being hailed as the perfect middle-ground solution between traditional gas-powered vehicles and pure EVs

As others have hinted here and in other threads, dealers will "love them" more than they do pure EVs because they will sustain the service department through the usual oil changes, etc. Perhaps that was seen as a big PLUS at Ford for going EREV. When I picked up my Lightning from my Ford dealer in May 2023, one of the dealer reps bitterly complained to me that I was buying a threat to their service department, saying, "How can we sustain our service department with vehicles like this?!"

 

[Adventureboy]

Ever wonder why diesel locomotives run on steel rails and massive rail beds?
6000 pounds for a half ton pickup is already pushing it.

On the other side of that coin - almost ALL locomotives are electric drive...... driven by a massive diesel generator

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