Ford Bronco New Energy Debuts With All-Electric, Range Extender EV Powertrains

Ford has unveiled electric variants of the Bronco for the Chinese markets. The Bronco New Energy, as it is called, draws design inspiration from the Bronco Sport rather than the larger, ladder-frame, full-fat Bronco sold in some global markets. The ‘new energy’ tag brings with it some notable changes under the skin compared to the standard Bronco and Bronco Sport. The Bronco New Energy is offered with all-electric or range-extender electric guise, offering a claimed range of up to 650 km and 1220 km, respectively.

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On the design aspect, the Bronco New Energy shares its basic design with the Bronco Sport sold in North America, with its boxy and upright proportions. There are, however, a plethora of styling changes compared to its North American cousin. Up front, the headlamps internals have been redesigned with revised daytime running light patterns, while the grille is now partially enclosed, though it still has ‘Bronco’ scrawled across its width. The bumper design too, has changed to make the car more aerodynamically efficient, though the use of black cladding and silver trim gives it a more muscular look.

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The upper opening of the grille doesn’t feed air into the engine compartment. The panel sitting atop the grille is an aerofoil-like element with the actual bonnet line dipping down to merge with the horizontal bar on the grille.

Down the sides, the Bronco New Energy features the same boxy characteristics as its North American cousins, with notable use of cladding along the wheel arches and the lower side body. Moving to the rear, the Bronco New Energy features a tailgate-mounted spare wheel similar to the full-size internal combustion Bronco, while the overall design is more akin to the Bronco Sport. Like the full-size Bronco, the Bronco New Energy also features a side-hinged tailgate.

Interior details remain under wraps for now, though the models will get features such as a panoramic sunroof and LiDAR-based ADAS tech.

On the powertrain front, there are two variants offered - Pure EV and range extender electric. The Pure EV powertrain uses a larger 105.4 kWh battery - said to be sourced from BYD - and offers a range of up to 650 km. The range extender, meanwhile, features a smaller 43.7 kWh unit paired with a 1.5-litre petrol engine. It gets an EV-only range of up to 220 km and a combined range of up to 1220 km. Both variants of the Bronco New Energy feature dual-motor all-wheel drive, with the EV featuring 130 kW front and 202 kW rear electric motors. The range extender shares the same front motor, though it gets a lower output 180 kW rear electric motor.

As per the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Bronco EV measures 5,025 mm long, 1,960 mm wide, and 1,815 mm tall, and sits on a 2,950 mm wheelbase. This makes it similar in size to the full-size Bronco sold in North America. The kerb weight is 2,630 kg for the all-electric model while the range extender EV is around 120 kg lighter at 2,510 kg.

Ford says that the Bronco New Energy will go on sale in the Chinese market later this year and will be the company’s first strategic new energy vehicle for the market.