Ford · 1997–2002

Ford Ranger EV

The Ford Ranger EV is a battery electric compact pickup truck that was produced by the Ford Motor Company and was the automaker's first all-electric production vehicle. It was produced starting in the 1998 model year through 2002 and is no longer in production. It is built upon a light truck chassis used in the Ford Explorer. Most vehicles were sold with nickel–metal hydride batteries (NiMH). A few vehicles with lead-acid batteries were sold, but most units were leased for fleet use. As of 2022, an active owner's community continues to maintain and upgrade these trucks.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

All Ford Ranger EV data: UK builds, safety, recalls, model years →

History

=== Cost === The above the line cost of this vehicle (before manufacturer discounts and other public agency subsidies) was US$52,720 (equivalent to $105,735 in 2025). Ford Motor Credit supported a generous 3-year lease program that would, along with AQMD (Air Quality Management District) funding and Federal Tax Credits, allow for a RangerEV 3-year lease payment as low as US$155 (equivalent to $310.87 in 2025) per month. An example is the Lawrence Livermore/Berkeley Labs, in eco-friendly Northern California, signed on for 20 units from Ford Motor Credit, with a total lease cost to the Labs of $0 over the 3-year lease term. Thanks to overwhelming financial support from government-funded Clean Cities programs and AQMD Grants, when applied towards an APP (All Payments Paid) version of the RangerEV commercial lease the resulting lease became Paid In Full. The Ranger EV qualified for a California Clean Air Vehicle decal, permitting the use of carpool lanes for single-occupant vehicles through 2018.

Design

The Ranger EV was essentially a Ford Ranger XL 4x2 regular cab featuring an electric vehicle powertrain instead of the Ranger XL's standard I4 engine. The only difference between a Ranger XL and a Ranger EV was that the Ranger EV had no engine, so the tachometer that was on the Ranger XL was replaced by an estimated range remaining gauge on the Ranger EV, the oil pressure gauge was also replaced with an On/Off indicator, and the voltage gauge was replaced with an economy gauge. Other than these minor differences, the Ranger EV included the standard features that the Ranger XL 4X2 Regular Cab included as standard: an AM and FM radio, two speakers, fifteen-inch alloy wheels, a bench seat or bucket seats trimmed in cloth, air conditioning and a heater, an automatic transmission, two airbags, seating for either two or three passengers, a passenger airbag on/off switch activated by the vehicle's ignition and door key, and vinyl flooring. Additional options, such as a spare tire, a cassette and/or CD player, two additional speakers behind the front seats, power windows and door locks, and keyless entry were also available for all Ranger EVs. Most Ranger EVs were painted in Ford's standard Oxford White Clear Coat with a Flint Gray interior; other exterior colors included: Bright Red, Medium Platinum, Light Denim Blue Metallic, Boysenberry Blue Metallic, and Pacific Green Metallic. No other interior color options were available. Exterior. The principal identifiers of an electric Ranger are the appearance of the front charging door in a grille location that is open on ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) Rangers, the missing tailpipe, and the visibility of the EV's unique rear suspension and the traction motor from behind the vehicle. From the side, the vehicle is almost indistingui

Manufacturing

Final Assembly of the Ranger EV took place at a craft center in Detroit, Michigan. Conventional Ranger trucks built without a powertrain (called "gliders") were built at the Ford Twin Cities plant in Minnesota and shipped to Detroit, where the EV powertrain, battery, and other EV-specific elements were installed.

Issues

=== Early life problems === There were numerous problems with the NiMH Ranger associated with an inability to accept a charge in hot environmental conditions, and some other problems requiring replacement of major components, but Ford successfully addressed these problems early in the vehicle's life cycle. There were some range issues around the 25,000-mile (40,200 km) service life with the batteries, and due to the great expense of these batteries, Ford elected not to fix this range problem (as allowed under the lease terms). Some leases were continued despite the shorter range. Battery heating. The lead-acid batteries are sensitive to temperature, losing a substantial portion of capacity in winter conditions. When plugged in for charge the battery temperature is sensed and battery heaters used to maintain temperature sufficient to retain specified range – a necessity for colder climate fleet use, where vehicles are usually parked outdoors. This would suggest that to enhance the economy of use in such climates that the vehicle should be sheltered. NiMH batteries do not have this temperature sensitivity; however, models with NiMH batteries do have a loss in range in cold temperatures, perhaps because of greater rolling resistance in the drive train and tires. Battery cooling. The ability to charge NiMH batteries is limited by heat gain, so these batteries are air-cooled by two fans. The first fan is circulating the air around the batteries. The second fan is exchanging the air inside the battery box. Controversy and lottery. The majority of Ford Ranger EVs were leased to fleets. Some leased Ford Ranger EVs were sold to lessees, however, so there are some Ford Ranger EVs that have been and may be available for purchase as used. It was expected that Ford, like other compa

Discontinuation and later development

Ford has announced no plans to resume production of this model. The North American market Ford Ranger was discontinued after the 2011 model year, however, the Ranger line continued with the new T6 generation of the Ford Ranger for Europe. Ford, however, partnered with Azure Dynamics to provide an electric vehicle version of its popular Ford Transit Connect cargo van for the United States market only from 2010 to 2012. The Azure Transit Connect Electric has an EPA range of 56 miles (90 km), almost identical to that of the Ford Ranger EV. Ford would later release an all-electric version of the Focus for the 2012 model year. Availability in Nordic countries. Several Ford Ranger EV's were "rescued" in 2008 and transported to Norway, where a company named Elbil Import sells them to end users.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name: Ford Ranger EV
Manufacturer: Ford
Production: 1997–2002
Model years: 1998–2002
Assembly: United States: Detroit, Michigan (final assembly) Saint Paul, Minnesota (Twin Cities Assembly Plant) (truck chassis)
Class: Compact pickup truck
Body style: 2-door regular cab
Layout: Rear-motor, rear-wheel-drive
Related: Ford Ranger (third generation), Ford Explorer (third generation)
Battery: 22 kWh lead-acid or 26 kWh NiMH
Transmission: 3:1 single speed reduction integrated with motor and differential
Charging: SAE J1773-1998 (Avcon) connector
Wheelbase: 111.6 in
Length: 187.5 in
Width: 69.4 in
Height: 66 in
Kerb weight: 4196 -
sp: us

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5467910CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Ranger_EVCC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1371175915 · retrieved 2026-10-01
Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:GSFRFrontQuarterView.jpgCC BY-SA 2.5 · Photo: The original uploader was Leonard G. at English Wikipedia. Geoff Shepherd released the image under the CC-SA license in personal correspondance to Leonard G. · retrieved 2026-10-01
Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.