A UK engineering firm has taken the Blue Oval’s bakkie to a new level. Here’s the Ford Ranger 6×6!
This is the Ford Ranger 6×6 HEX, a one-off creation from UK engineering specialists Ricardo. Ricardo is the company involved in the Toyota Hilux Hydrogen project and also work on powertrains for supercar brand McLaren.
The Ford Ranger 6×6 HEX features the same 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel with 186 kW and 600 Nm, but Ricardo has added an electric motor to the mix, which deliver an additional 210 kW on demand. There’s no mention of battery size, but Ricardo says multiple pack sizes are available to suit customer needs. Charging is completed via a cable and regenerative braking.
The extended load bay over the additional axle has seen an increase in carrying capacity. The standard Ranger offers around 1000 kg, but the Ranger 6×6 HEX brings 3800 kg to the party! Under the load bay, the standard Ranger suspension setup and leaf springs have been replaced by a De Dion rear axle, which Ricardo says is robust and weight efficient.
Ricardo says this conversion will not be sold direct to the public, but rather made available to the defence and security markets. Right now, its a concept to show off what Ricardo is capable of building.
The news about the hybrid Ranger HEX follows Ford’s own reveal of its brand-new plug-in hybrid Ranger which is said to offer around 50 km of pure electric range.
