The problem with hybrids is often they don't extend to include trucks ... leaving pickup and SUV enthusiasts out in the cold.

But that is slated to changed within the next four years.

Ford CEO Mark Fields mentioned a hybrid version of the F-150 taking the road by 2020 during an interview with National Public Radio's Ari Shapiro on Wednesday, as confirmed by the automaker's spokesperson Mike Levine in an email to CNET.

"Ford is moving forward with the development of a rear-wheel-drive hybrid system," Levine wrote in the message. "We are on track to have the hybrid system ready later this decade on rear-wheel-drive Ford pickups and SUVs."

Those rear-wheel drive hybrids could come in the SUV form of the Expedition to pair with Ford's F-150 pickup.

If this pans out, Ford's hybrid pickups and SUVs will mark the first time that America has had a hybrid pickup truck on the market since Chevrolet's Silverado Hybrid in 2011.

As part of the interview, Fields stressed the importance of greener vehicles as a means to combat global pollution air pollution, especially while United States and European emissions regulations tighten up following Volkswagen's costly and extremely damaging emissions scandal.

This revelation comes on the heels of Ford already announcing that it is investing upwards of $4 billion in electric vehicle technology and even plans to possibly jump into the ride-hailing space led by Uber.