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The automotive press is practically ablaze with rumors that Ford is replacing its Ford Escape crossover SUV with an electric version, which will also be called the Escape. This has generated a great impact in the esoteric field of car names. Normally when a model is retired, so is the name. The American auto industry is littered with past cars, wannabes, never existed, and simply worn out cars that have been retired along with their names. Hmmm…maybe Ford is sending a not-so-subtle signal about the future of EV sales in the US…
The future of electric vehicle sales in the US
By now, everyone knows that electric vehicle sales plummeted last fall, after US President Donald Trump and his Republican majority in Congress crafted the “OBBA” tax bill to eliminate federal tax credits for electric vehicles.
Still, electric vehicle sales didn’t stop dead, much less change course. A new wave of lease-free used electric vehicles helped keep the momentum going earlier this year, and some automakers (looking at you, Subaru) kept their plans for new electric vehicles in the United States.
Plug-in hybrids were also seen as something of a gateway drug, and Audi CEO Gernot Döllner is among those expecting strong EV sales in that category.
EV stakeholders should smell blood in the water as Election Day 2026 approaches. With polls indicating Trump will lose his grip on federal EV policy, EV news has been circulating the Intertubes for the past few weeks. Among examples, Slate Auto opened its first showroom in Chicago and General Motors introduced its gen-4 EV platform.
Somewhat strangely, the Trump administration also contributed to the news cycle with the release of new battery collaboration “BattMan” earlier this week. Under the umbrella of the U.S. Department of Energy, BattMan connects federal laboratories with academic and private sector partners to push the boundaries of next-generation batteries for transportation applications as well as stationary energy storage.
Ford says goodbye to another gas vehicle
Of course, Tesla also weighed in with its “flying car” stunt, but that was just a stunt. In the world of street-legal electric vehicles, Ford has been working the hype machine to generate interest in the upcoming Fathom all-electric pickup truck, which is on track to go into volume production early next year with an MSRP starting at the affordability benchmark of $28,350 with a built-in inverter that also reduces the cost of two-way charging.
The Fathom illustrates how much blood, sweat and tears it takes to name a new car. It’s a midsize truck like the popular Maverick, but Ford went in a new direction with the Fathom, considering hundreds of options during a months-long naming journey before settling on a deep-know-adjacent maritime reference.
The Fathom will be the first electric vehicle to come off Ford’s new “Universal EV” manufacturing platform, and the automaker has indicated that the next vehicle will be a compact SUV. The consensus has settled on something along the lines of the Escape crossover SUV, especially since Ford has been making plans to retire the gas-powered vehicle… but maybe not the name.
That’s where the automotive press’s ears have pricked up, drawing attention to the Escape homepage that shows the rear of an abandoned, rain-spattered Escape heading to the dustbin of automotive history along with its dual exhaust system.
And this is where things get interesting. The text on the home page simply notes that the Ford Escape is “hitting the brakes,” which has been interpreted as a pause message, not a forever message.
However, on the same page Ford offers a good reason why the 2026 Escape won’t fly. The car is not for sale in California or several other states.
“The 2026 Ford Escape® is not certified for California Air Resources Board emissions requirements,” Ford states in a drop-down link. “Therefore, it is not available for purchase by customers who wish to register their vehicle in states that have adopted California’s certification requirements for the 2026 model year, specifically California, Massachusetts, Oregon, New York, Washington and Vermont.”
Ford goes on to suggest two other gas-powered SUVs that are street legal in states that comply with California’s rules, the 2026 Bronco Sport SUV and the 2026 Ford Explorer SUV.
More electric vehicle sales in the US
So is Ford really betting on the Escape brand to boost its electric vehicle sales in the United States? Maybe! In August, the Detroit Free Press summarized a whirlwind of rumors surrounding the idea of an electric Escape, citing inside sources including a Ford dealer with access to the company’s program codes.
However, in the same report, Reuters cites an inside source who indicated that in 2029, Ford plans to introduce a new entry-level SUV with hybrid and gasoline powertrains.
“At the Las Vegas meeting, executives, the dealer said, assured dealers that the automaker is committed to hybrid powertrains in the future,” Reuters emphasized.
Hmmmm… so much for a fully electric exhaust. In May, Canadian Ford dealer MSAFord also raised some questions about an all-electric replacement for the Escape in a blog post (pauses added for readability):
“Production of the Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair ended at the Louisville Assembly Plant last December, leaving a giant gap in The Blue Oval’s lineup when it comes to small crossovers.”
“This is particularly true of the Escape, which disappeared at a time when new vehicle buyers are also increasingly looking for more affordable options.
“However, in December 2022, a report emerged from AutoForecast Solutions claiming that the Ford Escape would remain an all-electric crossover, although it has so far been unclear whether that plan has been intact since then.”
Readers, what do you think? Is half an electric vehicle better than none? Overall sales of electric vehicles have not yet increased, but plug-in hybrids have become more popular following US President Donald Trump’s stupid decision to bomb Iran last February.
EREVs (Extended Range EVs) are another middle-of-the-road option that will contribute to an increase in electric vehicle sales. Volkswagen’s Scout Motors subsidiary, for example, has stated that EREVs make up the majority of its bookings so far.
Then there are the pure EV players, including robotaxi stakeholders along with Slate and Rivian, which are moving forward with plans to build a new factory in Georgia.
As for industry leader Tesla, that’s another can of worms. CEO Elon Musk has earned his fair share of bad publicity in recent years, as shown in the new documentary “Musk.” However, the movie ended sometime last year, leaving Musk’s final antics for the sequel.
Photo: Ford says goodbye to gas-powered Escape, but reports of an all-electric replacement for the crossover SUV may be a bit premature (cropped, courtesy of Ford).
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