This article was published on November 3, 2021

Ford’s e-concept pickup truck turns my old-school mode on

Plus, Ford launched its new Eluminator e-crate motor that can replace the engine of vintage and modern cars


Ford’s e-concept pickup truck turns my old-school mode on

Remember Ford’s 1978 F-100 pickup truck?

Ford F-100 Eluminator concept
Credit: Niels de Wit

The automaker has used it to create a reimagined electric vehicle concept and it’s called the F-100 Eluminator. 

Take a look at the reinvented oldie:

Ford F-100 Eluminator
It keeps the beauty of its predecessor, but with some modern touches. Credit: Ford

Basically, Ford has unveiled the concept car to showcase the benefits of electric propulsion and, in turn, to promote its first electric crate motor from Ford Performance Parts, designed to electrify conventional vehicles — from vintage cars to modern trucks and SUVs.

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You can buy the e-crate motor online at authorized Ford parts warehouses and dealers for $3,900. If you’re a conversion aficionado, I’d say that’s a pretty decent deal.

Ford Eluminator electric crate motor
Each Eluminator e-crate motor produces 281hp and 317 lb.-ft. of torque. Credit: Ford
F-100 Eluminator concept truck
The F-100 Eluminator truck features a 2021 Mustang Mach-E GT Performance Edition battery electric powertrain. Credit: Ford
F-100 Eluminator concept truck
Like the vintage truck, the F-100 Eluminator has all-wheel drive. Only now two electric traction motors drive the front and rear wheels, with an impressive 480hp and634 lb.-ft. of torque. Credit: Ford
F-100 Eluminator electric classic
The interior has been reinvented as well with a billet aluminium dash and avocado-tanned leather upholstery. Plus, we can see an infotainment digital display. Credit: Ford
Ford Eluminator electric concept truck
The electric truck is painted in Avalanche Gray with Cerakote Copper accents. Credit: Ford

If you ask me, I find the F-100 Eluminator concept truck an absolute beauty and I’m a big fan of giving new sustainable life to vintage vehicles.

Whether a classic car is still “classic” if converted to an EV is, however, a long discussion and as I’ve already shared my opinion on the matter I won’t bore you again with my arguments.

Here’s a crazy suggestion

I do believe that Ford’s e-crate motor is a great idea for making conventional vehicles environment-friendly, but I’d like to say that if we really want a fully zero-emission transportation, we have to ditch cars altogether.

And, in fact, there’s another type of classic vehicle that doesn’t involve a car’s polluting manufacturing process: the carriage!

Just imagine an e-crate motor designed for carriages! It would require less electricity to power it (so, we’re saving on energy consumption) and we wouldn’t have to endanger the horse species either.

electric carriage
Something like this.

Yes, yes, I’m totally aware that this just can’t happen in the modern era, but still that’s the ultimate classic vehicle conversion. And it’d be very cool going to work with your electrified carriage, ideally wearing a black top hat.

Do EVs excite your electrons? Do ebikes get your wheels spinning? Do self-driving cars get you all charged up? 

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