Ford announced plans to introduce the F-150 Lightning next week and Tesla trolls inevitably came out of the woodwork to attack the automaker.
That’s as stupid as it sounds, but Ford CEO Jim Farley had a surprising response to one Twitter user who goes by the name “Powered by Tesla.”
The user replied to Farley’s tweet marking the ninth anniversary of Carroll Shelby’s passing by asking, if Ford is ‘truly committed to EVs in the future, why don’t we have an EV option on new products like the Bronco?’ While that seems a bit troll-like, Farley responded by saying “Why do you think we don’t?”
Also Read: Ford Bronco Returns To Blow The Jeep Wrangler’s Doors Off
Why do you think we dont?
— Jim Farley (@jimfarley98) May 10, 2021
That’s an interesting response as it seems to suggest Ford is planning to offer an electric Bronco in the future. That’s far from certain at this point but, back in 2018, Ford said seven electric vehicles would be introduced by 2022. At the time, the automaker also revealed they were going “all-in on hybrids” as the fuel-saving technology would be offered on high-volume models including the Bronco, Escape, Explorer, Mustang and F-150.
Ford has been tight-lipped about the Bronco Hybrid lately, but last summer a video surfaced showing a digital instrument cluster with an “EV Coaching” function. While that display was initially expected to be added to a plug-in hybrid variant, it would make more sense on a fully electric vehicle.
That’s still not confirmation of a Bronco EV, but the odds certainly look promising. It’s also worth mentioning that the additions would allow the Bronco to better compete with the Jeep Wrangler, which recently gained a plug-in hybrid variant. Jeep has also hinted at an all-electric Wrangler as the Magneto concept debuted at this year’s Easter Jeep Safari.
As a refresher, the Magneto was equipped with four battery packs and an electric motor that produced 285 hp (213 kW / 289 PS) and 273 lb-ft (370 Nm) of torque. This setup enabled the four-wheel drive concept to accelerate from 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) in 6.8 seconds.