√Electric Ford Ranger teased by CEO

Ford’s CEO has seemingly confirmed a long-rumoured electric variant of the brand’s Australian-designed truck.

An electric variant of the Australian-designed Ford Ranger pick-up appears to be greenlit for production.

Drive has previously reported the new Ranger platform is compatible with hybrid and zero-emission powertrains.

However, the US manufacturer has remained tight lipped on its specific model plans until now.

Overnight Ford CEO Jim Farley said: “We’re already pushing dirt down in Blue Oval City in Tennessee for another electric pickup truck that’s different than [the F-150 Lightning].”

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the marque told online outlet Jalopnik: “[The vehicle] will be a next-gen electric truck, different from F-150 Lightning.”

Reference to “next-gen” seemingly rules out the US-built Ford Maverik, and suggests the recently-revealed new Ranger is the obvious candidate for electrification.

Earlier this year Ian Foston – global chief engineer for the Ford Ranger and its Volkswagen Amarok twin – revealed the platform is already compatible with hybrid and electric powertrains.

“We can’t confirm where we are heading, but we are looking at all the technology we are deploying at Ford (to be applied to the new Ranger),” Mr Foston said.

“We’ve got a bandwidth of electrification hardware that enables us to go anywhere from a 24-volt mild hybrid all the way through to a full electric version.”