The Ford Ranger EV was Ford’s first mass-produced battery-electric vehicle in North America. Based on the compact Ranger pickup, it entered production in 1998 and was offered mainly to fleet customers and selected consumers.
The Ranger EV used an electric motor and rechargeable battery pack instead of a gasoline engine. Early versions used lead-acid batteries, while later trucks used nickel-metal-hydride battery technology. The vehicle had limited range compared with modern electric pickups, but it demonstrated practical battery-powered operation decades before today’s larger electric trucks.
Ford produced the Ranger EV through 2002. Its restricted availability and modest range mean it is sometimes overlooked when people discuss Ford electric vehicles, especially because the much newer F-150 Lightning became the company’s best-known electric pickup.
The Ranger EV was not a hybrid: it relied entirely on stored electrical energy for propulsion. Ford’s later electric-vehicle efforts included battery-powered versions of other commercial vehicles and, eventually, the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning.