Key Points:
- Ford is developing a $30,000 midsize electric pickup truck to boost EV sales.
- A special engineering team created a new platform that slashes production costs.
- The new design uses 20% fewer parts and cuts factory workstations by 40%.
- Engineers from Formula One helped improve aerodynamic efficiency by over 15%.
Ford learned hard lessons from its first wave of electric vehicles. Early models like the F-150 Lightning cost the company nearly $20 billion in write-offs after customer demand fell far short of industry predictions. Now, the automaker is completely changing its strategy.
A special “skunkworks” team based in California is building a new universal electric vehicle platform from scratch. Former Tesla engineer Alan Clarke leads this group. Their first product will be an affordable midsize electric pickup truck that costs around $30,000 and actually turns a profit for the company.
To hit that low price, Ford had to rethink how it builds cars. The new platform uses 20% fewer parts and 25% fewer fasteners than a standard Ford vehicle. This streamlined design allowed the company to eliminate 40% of the workstations on the factory floor, making the assembly process much cheaper and faster.
The team also focused heavily on efficiency. Ford hired former Formula One racing engineers to design the truck’s body. They made the vehicle 15% more aerodynamic than any pickup currently on the market. Less wind resistance means the truck needs less energy to move, allowing Ford to use a smaller, lighter battery.
To cut costs further, Ford will use lithium-iron phosphate battery chemistry. These batteries cost significantly less and improve vehicle safety. Ford plans to build them at a new plant in Michigan, though the technology relies on a licensing deal with a Chinese battery company.
Releasing a compact electric truck carries some risk. Electric vehicle sales in the United States have stalled at around 8%, well below the 20% the industry originally expected.
However, the average new car today costs over $50,000. Ford hopes that offering a spacious, highly capable truck for just $30,000 will finally convince everyday Americans to make the electric switch. The company plans to release the official name, range, and availability date later this year.
