A Ford Ranger PHEV has been converted into an off-grid mobile coffee truck, using the pickup’s Pro Power Onboard system to run commercial coffee equipment without relying on mains power or a generator.
The truck, known as Wilbur, has been created for the Coffee Can Company
and is being used at events, corporate bookings, driving experiences and off-grid catering jobs.
For mobile coffee businesses, power is one of the biggest headaches. Commercial espresso machines demand serious electrical output, while generators can be noisy, expensive to run, awkward to maintain and not especially welcome at quieter events.
That is where the Ranger PHEV comes in. Its onboard power system allows the Coffee Can Company to run its coffee setup directly from the vehicle, opening up locations where mains power would previously have been unavailable, impractical or simply too much hassle.
The conversion includes custom pull-out drawers, fitted electrics, water tanks, a securely mounted espresso machine and an awning. In short, everything needed to turn the back of a pickup into a compact mobile espresso bar.
Amy McMillan, founder and owner of the Coffee Can Company, said the appeal was immediate when Ford asked whether the company would be interested in converting one of the new Ranger PHEVs into a coffee truck.
“Because imagine that for a second: an off-grid, off-road coffee truck. Absolutely,” she said.
This is not the first time Wilbur has put in a serious shift. We first came across the truck in Spain, where McMillan had driven it to support the European Ford E-Transit Courier launch, serving coffee and excellent cakes from a local artisan bakery before carrying on the trip as a holiday.
Since its conversion, the Ranger PHEV has attended open days, hospital staff wellbeing mornings, driving experience days and events for Ford, including support for the launch of the new Ford Mustang GTD alongside the Mustang Owners Club.
“The thing we’ve realised very quickly is just how much freedom this setup gives us,” said McMillan. “We can genuinely take it almost anywhere. It’s opened doors to events that previously would have been impossible because of power limitations.”
One of the less glamorous but useful benefits is that the coffee machine can be left heating while the truck is on the move. Anyone who has worked around catering equipment will know that arriving on site ready to serve, rather than waiting for boilers to come up to temperature, is a major win.
The setup also means no generator, no long extension leads, no fuel runs and no need to build an entire event plan around where the nearest plug socket might be.
At one recent event, the Coffee Can Company even used the Ranger PHEV to help out another food trader who arrived to find no power available on site.
“We unplugged our boiler and plugged them straight into the truck instead,” said McMillan. “So suddenly there we were: our coffee setup and an entire food truck, both powered by Ford.”
The Ranger PHEV’s petrol engine can start when needed to top up the battery, but the Coffee Can Company says it has run multiple days while using around half a tank of fuel.
The project is a useful example of what plug-in hybrid pickups can do beyond the usual towing, load-carrying and off-road work. Onboard power can turn a pickup into a mobile energy source for tools, lighting, refrigeration, catering equipment or event support.
In this case, it also makes a decent espresso.
