Your questions answered: Will the Ford Ranger Plug-in Hybrid be any good for towing?

There’s plenty of love for hybrids and electric cars in this week’s carsales mailbox.

One reader is wondering about the suitability of the upcoming Ford Ranger Plug-in Hybrid for towing, while another is searching for a full battery-electric car that can deal with the rigours of off-road driving.

It seems Australians are getting ready to get down and dirty in their electrified cars!

Another is wondering if there’s an aftermarket replacement for the soon-to-disappear Tesla indicator stalks.

Plus, someone is looking for a petrol-electric replacement for their old Ford Territory.

There’s also a question about cheap EVs – where are they!?! – and whether an EV-ready household can go off the grid.

Will the Ford Ranger Plug-in Hybrid be any good for towing?

Question:

Answer: Yes, Ford is doing a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version of its Ranger ute, although it won’t be here until early 2025.

In announcing the newcomer, though, there are arguably more questions than answers.

Ford says there will be no comprises in terms of towing ability and payload, which suggests the Ranger PHEV should be able to tow up to 3.5 tonnes and carry up to about one tonne (although likely not both together, as is the case with diesel-powered utes).

Ford is saying the EV-only range of the Ranger Plug-in Hybrid will be upwards of 45km, but the company also says it will need the 2.3-litre petrol engine working with the electric motor to shift a caravan like yours.

If it’s like any of the other PHEVs we’ve driven its performance in EV mode will be modest. So while we’re yet to learn about the full details, it seems the Ranger PHEV will be ideally suited to those who confine it to shorter drives on most days (ideally less than 40km) but occasionally want to head off into the yonder or carry heavy things.

Of course, the big unknown for the Ranger PHEV is the price. You’d be safe in assuming it’d be the most expensive of the drivetrains available in the core Ranger models (we’re excluding the Raptor from that).

If we were guessing – and that’s all it is – we reckon it could be a $5000-odd jump over the V6 models.

Will I be able to fit indicator stalks to the new Tesla Model 3?

Question:

Answer: Teslas have an amazing array of aftermarket options and accessories, with everything from ambient lighting kits and head-up displays to additional storage binnacles.

As for whether someone will develop some indicator stalks, we’re not sure. It sounds like a pretty big job because it would not only require tapping into the car’s electrical wiring but also finding or creating a mounting point on the steering column.

With all that in mind, we’d be surprised if someone did bother with that. But then again, Tesla never disappoints with surprises!

Before you go worrying about that, though, we’d suggest seeing if you can get used to activating the indicators from the steering wheel buttons. Ferrari and Lamborghini do it and in those cars it’s pretty easy to adapt to.

The one area it’s not great is if you want to activate or cancel the indicators when you’ve got steering lock wound on.

Can our off-grid lifestyle work with an electric car?

Question:

Being off-grid, and with shorter sunny days in winter, we often can’t use our oven as it consumes too much energy. We have a 20kW system and try to run everything during the day, so night time plugging-in isn’t ideal. But if we need, we could install another system – approximately how many solar panels is needed to run an electric car, what kW system is best and what would be your choice of electrical AWD? – Karen M

Answer: So it looks like you’re averaging about 85km per day, so let’s assume that would use something like 18kWh of electricity. You’d likely need a 5kW-plus solar system just to charge the electric car (remembering that the system will rarely produce its peak).

If you want to be safe, make it a 7kWh system (about 25 panels) and install a battery back-up so you can utilise the electricity at night rather than losing it during the day if the car is not charging then. All of which is starting to sound expensive. Yes, you could do it, but we reckon there’s at least a $20K outlay – likely more – to get you to the stage of having something that can work for you.

Of course, the other option is to charge at town rather than home, at least for those times when the solar system hasn’t produced enough power. Check PlugShare to see if there are any charging stations near the places you visit regularly.

You should also know that there are currently no electric SUVs on sale in Australia with a spare tyre. That could be an issue with those potholes you mention.

Another option you could consider is a hybrid. The Nissan X-TRAIL e-POWER is a terrific car that is fairly frugal on fuel, although maybe not quite as frugal as your current CX-5 diesel.

Are there any sub-$100K electric 4WDs coming soon?

Question:

My conundrum is this: I need a 4WD. Are there any (under $100K) 4WD EVs on the very near horizon? I understand that towing quickly depletes the battery. Alternatively, maybe, the wife could get a Highland LR and I keep the MY, but I still need a 4WD. Maybe sell the D-MAX and just get a cheaper $10-15K ICE 4WD for the farm and towing heavy stuff.

Maybe if there was an imminent 4WD EV release, I could wait and get one of those and sell the MY (assuming the wife gets a Highland). Not interested in the Ford F-150 Lightning due to price. The Cybertruck would simply be an Elon hate magnet (not that they are a thing yet anyway). I’d probably be prepared to look at the cheaper Chinese 4WD EV if they were a thing (LDV etc). What are your thoughts please?

Also, regarding the Highland M3 (Long Range), can you confirm if the CATL made battery is the same LFP type as the MY?  Or is it the newer (I believe) LMFP battery? Also, any idea if the Highland has the new HW4, or still the HW3 brain for Full Self-Driving (not that fully autonomous vehicles will be a thing in Australia for a long time). – Mark G

Answer: If by 4WD you mean something that can tackle serious off-road tracks and conditions then unfortunately there’s nothing EV on the horizon that I’m aware of. There are plenty of soft-roader all-wheel drives that will probably surprise in terms of the terrain they will cover (Hyundai IONIQ 5 and upcoming Kia EV9 would be two) but none will be anywhere near as adventurous or rugged as your D-MAX.

Those sorts of EV off-road vehicles will come, but I wouldn’t expect much action before about 2026. That said, BYD is suggesting it will have a fully electric ute by 2025.

All of which points towards being a two-Tesla family and having the farm hack 4WD for getting the jobs done.

As for whether the updated Tesla Model 3 (Project Highland) gets a lithium ferrous phosphate or lithium manganese ferrous phosphate battery, I’m not sure. I thought they were continuing with unchanged batteries, which would mean LFP for rear-wheel drive models and NMC for Long Range (and Performance, if it ever materialises).

As for whether the updated car will get hardware three or hardware four, my expectation was it would be HW4. But as with all things Tesla, we’re guessing slightly until the cars arrive. Tesla typically doesn’t bother answering questions like that from the media.

Which hybrid should we buy to replace our old Ford Territory?

Question: We are upgrading from an 18-year-old Territory and would like to stay with the four-wheel or all-wheel drive. Most of our driving by far is in the city, about 75-100K max per week, and very occasional trips to the snow. Is it worth getting a hybrid for that kind of use? We don’t want to worry about range anxiety, so don’t want to go full electric. – Peter H

Answer: Obviously, a hybrid still has a price premium over a non-hybrid, something that will be paid back in fuel savings. But given you’re only doing around 5000km annually the payback would likely be at least five years, possibly more.

But there’s another part to this equation: what the car is worth when you go to sell it. Hybrids have been performing well on the used car market and the expectation is that will continue moving forward.

So yes, stepping into a hybrid could be a good option for you. If you want something of a similar size to your Territory check out the Toyota Kluger Hybrid, Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid and Kia Sorento Hybrid.

As for range anxiety with an EV, the only time you’d get close to getting it is during those trips to the snow. And there are decent fast-charging options on the way to the alps. If it were me, I’d be more than happy going for an EV. Check out the Tesla Model Y or upcoming Model 3; each has good range and more charging options than other EVs.

Why doesn’t my EV go as far as it says it would?

Question:

Answer: It’s unlikely there’s anything wrong with the car and more likely it’s the method of calculating the claimed range that is the issue. That doesn’t mean Hyundai has done anything wrong either.

Like most EVs in Australia, the IONIQ 5’s range was calculated according to the WLTP (worldwide harmonised light vehicle test procedure) that is supposed to be closer to real-world usage.

It’s better than the previous system required by Australian Design Rules (ADR) but is still not representative of a lot of people’s everyday driving, especially if that driving involves plenty of time at 100km/h-plus (at which point the car has to work a lot harder to push the air out of the way).

Also keep in mind that any roof racks or optional wheels and tyres can have a negative impact on how far the car will travel.

As a general rule, we recommend people knock at least 10 per cent off the WLTP range figure to get a realistic indication of how far the car will get. Up that to 20 per cent if you’re on a freeway.

When will there be a $25,000 EV?

Question: I’m keen to get an electric car but am not too keen on what I’m being asked to pay. I’ve read that prices are due to come down but am wondering when that will happen. My last car (a Mazda3) cost me $25,000 and that’s what I’m hoping to spend on a replacement. Am I dreaming? – Jenny K

Answer: If you’re waiting for a $25K electric car then that would very much be in a dream – or it would have fewer than four wheels.

Finding a $25K ICE vehicle is pretty tough these days, with most creeping well above that. Inflation has certainly hit the new car market hard – and, we suspect, the desire for car-makers to pump up some of their previously skinny margins.

We suspect you may start seeing some EVs around the $35K mark (the BYD Dolphin, MG4 and GWM Ora are hovering around $40K) but we wouldn’t expect it to come down a whole lot from that.

Keep in mind that EVs cost a lot less to run. So once you’ve stumped up for that initial outlay you should be spending a whole lot less on energy costs (electricity is way cheaper than petrol and diesel) as well as servicing.

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