This Ford Ranger Has Electric Drive, But Not Everyone Can Acquire It

This is the Ford Ranger FG-P that's sold through the Ford Global Fleet Sales arm.

What you see pictured here isn’t your typical modified Ford Ranger decked out in aftermarket parts like this or this. This, in fact, is the Ford Ranger FG-P light tactical vehicle that’s actually factory-built and with everything you see on it, which even includes a stealthy electric drive system.

Officially offered by the Blue Oval marque via its Ford Global Fleet Sales arm, the Ranger FG-P is “designed for defence and security operations”. It’s developed and built by Thai engineering firm RMA Automotive – the same firm tasked with left- (LHD) to right-hand drive (RHD) conversions of the Ford F-150 for Australia.

This isn’t the first time Ford made and offered tactical specialist vehicles based on its popular Ranger pick-up truck and its full-bodied Everest twin. For the previous generation (T6) model, Ford also offered a wide variety of specialist models made specifically for law enforcement and security purposes.

In FG-P form, this Next-Generation Ranger even boasts stealthy electric drive capabilities.

Back to the latest FG-P based on the Next-Generation Ranger, it’s plain to see that Ford and RMA Automotive have toughened up the exterior with added off-road protection hardware. Underneath though, this Ranger even gets a host of hardware and features that aren’t offered to the public.

Whilst it still employs the standard Ranger’s familiar 4-cyl and V6 turbo-diesel mills to drive it for most of the time, said powertrains are also supplemented with an electric motor and battery pack. The latter addition is designed to drive the rear axle under certain conditions silently.

Electric drive can be activated when the transmission is set in neutral and ‘Silent Mode’ engaged. This enables drive at speeds up to 20 KM/H, but higher speeds are reportedly available upon request. Ford didn’t reveal the battery specs for this, but did say 2 KM – 20 KM range is available depending on its size.

The special 'Black Out' mode sees all external and internal lights fully deactivated, thus making this Ranger very difficult to spot at night, even when it's on the move.

Furthermore, there’s also a special ‘Black Out’ mode that sees all internal and external lighting switched off, thus making the truck much harder to spot whilst on the move. This is ideal for agencies that frequently undertake security observations or reconnaissance operations where stealth is key.

Apart from these tactical talents, the Ford Ranger FG-P also sees a special ‘jet fuel compatibility’ optional package available. It sees special tuning to the turbo-diesel powertrain mentioned receiving a special tune to be able to run on 63, JP8, or similar low-viscosity fuels should low-sulphur diesel supply become scarce.

For this, the conversion sees the mill get brimmed with a recalibrated ECU, blocked-off exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve, and the adoption of a new exhaust system that’s free of a catalytic converter.

Both the exterior and suspension of the Ranger FG-P can be beefed up further to boost either off-road driving or cargo-lugging abilities.

Other upgrades available include the bodywork strengthening for either extensive off-road driving or cargo-hauling. Much of either stems from the adoption of new heavy-duty springs and dampers both at the front and rear, which can increase gross vehicle mass (GVM) from 3,350 KG to 3,500 KG.

Officially, Ford does not openly publish the single-unit cost for one of these Ranger FG-P specials, but we’re certain it costs significantly more than the base Ford Ranger it underpins. For context, the dual-cab variants of the Next-Generation Ranger retails in Malaysia between RM109,888 (XL) and RM169,688 (Wildtrak).

It goes without saying that perhaps individuals or parties sizing up the armoured BMW i7 and 7 Series we featured earlier this week might the same sort of folks who’d be keen on this Ranger FG-P too. What do you folks think of this tactically-specced version of one of Ford’s best-sellers? Hit the comments below…