Plugged In, Still Pulling Hard: Ranger Stormtrak PHEV

It had been a long time coming for me to finally get behind the wheel of a Ford Ranger Stormtrak PHEV. Back in September 2023, I attended a media briefing ahead of Ford publicly announcing that it would be bringing an electrified version of the new-generation Ranger to market.

At the time, this was a big deal. There were no electric options in the ute segment, let alone a plug-in hybrid that promised versatility without sacrificing the qualities that make a ute useful — namely power, payload and towing capability.

Fast forward to 2025 and the Stormtrak has arrived, offering a compelling option for those who see their ute as more than just a vehicle, but something that integrates into daily life.

The first question people usually ask is this: if there’s little compromise in performance and capability compared to a diesel ute, what’s the electric range, and how did Ford decide on battery size?

Ford began by analysing real-world data from existing Ranger owners, collected between services across global markets, particularly Australia and New Zealand. The average daily driving distance was around 40km. From there, engineers set about fitting the battery and electric hardware into the current Ranger platform.

Looking underneath the ute, how they’ve achieved this is quite remarkable. Unless you look closely, it’s difficult to tell the Stormtrak apart from a diesel version. There are no obvious or annoying compromises — not to handling, not to deck space. The spare wheel still sits where it should, unlike another PHEV ute currently on the market, where a larger battery has come at the expense of spare-wheel placement and even tow-bar fitment. Ford has clearly nailed the practicality aspect.

This spring has been a timely reminder of the importance of resilience — whether it’s extreme weather or disruptions to power and roading networks. I’m sure many people would have been very pleased to have a PHEV in their driveway when it became clear that storm damage meant power wouldn’t be restored for days.

Enter the generator and battery storage on wheels.

Most of the time, the idea behind a PHEV is to charge at home and use that stored energy to reduce or eliminate fuel use on short daily trips. But flip that on its head and the Ranger can power your home. When the generator system is active, it can deliver up to 6.9kW, with a 2.3kW cabin socket and two outlets in the deck, each capable of 3.45kW. That’s enough to run an entire household for days — or a job site or workshop.

While I had the Stormtrak, we were right in the peak of our velveting season, which provided a perfect test. I plugged it into our velvet freezer to chill down a morning’s harvest, and it handled the task easily.

My day-to-day ute use fits the ideal PHEV use case: generally 40–50km of road driving, with shorter trips around the farm. With regular charging at home or in the yard, we wouldn’t be buying much petrol at all. As we’re also planning to add solar to the house soon, that would further reduce energy costs and help speed up the payback on that investment. The added resilience from both would be a significant win.

Thanks to the team at Gluyas Motor Group for the opportunity to spend time with the Stormtrak and experience it first-hand.

Key specifications and features of the Ford Ranger Stormtrak PHEV:

• Combined fuel economy: 2.8L/100km

• 2.3L EcoBoost petrol engine

• 75kW electric motor

• 207kW @ 4600rpm

• 697Nm torque @ 2500rpm

• 3500kg towing capacity

• 10-speed automatic transmission