Will Ford’s “Breakthrough EV” Be an EREV?

By Fred Surr, EREVNow 

August 6th, 2025

Ford CEO Jim Farley says the company is about to have its “Model T moment.” On August 11, he’ll take the stage at their Louisville Assembly Plant to unveil what he’s calling a family of “breakthrough electric vehicles built in America.” And it got me thinking - could Ford’s breakthrough electric vehicle be an EREV?

If it is, it could be one of the smartest and most strategic moves from Ford (or any US car company, for that matter) in years.

An EREV - short for Extended-Range Electric Vehicle - is a fully electric car with a backup plan. It runs on battery power just like any other EV, plugging in at home and driving where you want to go. But when the battery runs low, after, say 150 miles, a small gas engine kicks in - not to drive the wheels, but to generate electricity and keep the car going another couple of hundred miles.  Need to go further?  No problem.  Just fill up at one of America’s 100,000 gas stations. 

This ability to keep going, using existing infrastructure, largely eliminates range anxiety and the need to build a nationwide charging network.  For EREV owners, the gas station is their charging station.

For most Americans, 90% of daily driving is under 100 miles, easily handled by an EREV’s battery. But it’s the exceptions - a road trip, an emergency, that one night you forget to plug in - that make people hesitant to go fully EV.  Range anxiety is real. And that’s where EREVs shine. They offer all the benefits of going electric, without the worry of getting stuck if a charger is broken, full, or simply nonexistent. And they do it with smaller battery packs, which means lower costs, fewer rare materials, and faster production timelines.

We don’t know yet what Ford will announce in Kentucky. But we do know a few things. First, Farley has said these new EVs will focus on what Ford does best - trucks, SUVs, and utility vehicles. Second, he’s been clear that this won’t be a generic mass-market offering. “Our bet is not to compete in high-volume, generic segments,” Farley told investors last week. “Instead, we are doubling down on what we do best: trucks, iconic passion products, Ford Pro and breakthrough technology that you will soon see on our forthcoming EV platform.” (Automotive News 8/11/25)

That lines up almost perfectly with the EREV playbook. Ford’s customers drive long distances. Many can’t charge at home. Some haul trailers or work equipment. They want to plug in when they can, but they need a fallback - and they don’t want to change the way they drive. With an EREV, they don’t have to.

EREVs are already making their mark in other markets. In China, EREV sales jumped 79% in 2024, reaching 1.2 million units - more than total EV sales in the U.S. last year. Automakers like Volkswagen, Hyundai, Stellantis, and Mazda are bringing (or have already brought) them to Europe and are considering U.S. launches. Scout’s EREV SUV is reportedly seeing strong reservations. And Stellantis’ RamCharger - a plug-in pickup with 145 miles of electric range and a total range of nearly 700 miles - should arrive later this year.

It wouldn’t take much for Ford to follow suit. With the right design, a mid-size electric truck, SUV, or small crossover with 150 miles of battery range and a small onboard generator could cover 90% of daily trips on electricity and the rest on gas - no planning required. Total range? 400+ miles. Price? It could be under $40,000, if they keep the battery pack small enough and build it in the U.S.

EREVs don’t require a nationwide charging network. They don’t require new driving habits. They just work. And for the millions of Americans who are interested in electric but aren’t comfortable relying on existing charging infrastructure, they could be the key to unlocking EV adoption at scale.

We’ll find out soon enough what Ford has planned. But if Farley really wants to deliver a Model T moment - an EV built for the average American, not just the early adopter - there may be no better way than an electric vehicle that charges at night and fills up at a gas station on the road.

That’s not just a breakthrough.

That’s an EREV.