Ford unveils new details on its cheaper EV platform. First up, a midsize pickup.
Ford (F)’s first-gen EVs — think the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning pickup — gave the automaker valuable insights into what customers want, as well as the difficulties in manufacturing EVs from scratch.
The big problem for Ford and other non-Tesla automakers was that customer demand was nowhere near the excitement levels projected by the industry, and the costs associated with the program were massive, to the tune of $19.5 billion in write-offs for Ford.
As a result, Ford pivoted its EV plans, but it’s not giving up. The company’s focus is on a new universal electric vehicle (UEV) platform built from the ground up with a “skunkworks” team in California. The first product will be a midsize EV pickup costing around $30,000, targeting profitability from the start.
The aero profile of Ford’s new midsize pickup based on its UEV platform. ·Ford
“We’re still on a really steep decline of EV costs, and you can only get that by innovating, and you can only get that by system level, optimizing into what eventually becomes a product that a customer wants,” said Ford’s Alan Clarke, who runs the skunkworks team out of Long Beach and was a longtime Tesla engineer.
Ford said the UEV platform reduces total parts by 20% compared with a typical Ford vehicle program — for example, incorporating 25% fewer fasteners throughout the vehicle. On the factory floor, Ford eliminated 40% of process workstations compared to current production. Using fewer parts and redesigning the build process makes a truck that’s cheaper to manufacture.
On the efficiency side, Ford recruited more than half of its UEV aerodynamics team from Formula One racing. The result, Ford claims, is aerodynamic efficiency more than 15% better than any pickup truck currently on the market, based on internal testing. Better “aero” means less drag on the vehicle and, conversely, less energy used to move the vehicle, leading to a longer range. And that means Ford can use a smaller, lighter-weight battery.
Early design sketches of Ford’s new midsize pickup based on its UEV platform. ·Ford
To keep battery costs low, Ford is going with lithium iron phosphate (LFP) chemistry — a less-expensive, cobalt-free battery that trades some energy density for significantly lower cost and improved safety.
Batteries represent more than 40% of an EV’s total vehicle cost, Ford said, and around 25% of total weight. Reducing battery cost is the single most powerful lever Ford can pull to make EVs affordable and profitable.
By designing a vehicle optimized for efficiency — through aerodynamics, weight reduction, and a new in-house-built electrical architecture — Ford argues its UEV solution is a winner.
But there are some concerns. Ford will manufacture the LFP battery cells and packs domestically at its new BlueOval Battery Park in Marshall, Mich. Though this brings the battery supply chain under US control, the batteries use licensed technology from China’s CATL, which is drawing attention from lawmakers and safety advocates who are concerned about China’s inclusion in the battery supply chain.
Ford’s Alan Clarke with an illustration of the prototype Ford UEV platform. ·Ford
The pickup form factor is a somewhat controversial choice.
“We’re learning a lot from the [Ford] Maverick customer about where they come from, which cars they come out of,” Clarke said about Ford’s existing gas-powered compact pickup.
“Ford has a very unique brand imagery associated with the pickup truck form factor. And once you can say there’s a vehicle at this cost level that has these capabilities, there’s nothing that’s really close. It’s efficient from a long-range standpoint, has the low cost, but has a cabin size that’s larger than a Toyota RAV4,” Clarke said, noting that the RAV4 is one of the world’s top-selling vehicles.
The question is do Americans want a compact EV pickup? While the Ford Maverick has sold well and is Ford’s top-selling hybrid vehicle, the EV factor is a whole different equation.
Currently, there are a few EVs in the marketplace that cost around $30,000 to $40,000: the new Chevy Bolt, Nissan (NSANY) Leaf, and even the Tesla (TSLA) Model 3 RWD. Though they sell well, they don’t sell in large enough quantities to move the needle.
Going the pickup route, therefore, has some risk, but Ford sees its marketplace prowess as a plus and said the UEV platform could lead to other vehicles, including an SUV.
Another concern is the EV marketplace in general. Automakers believed that by this time, EV penetration in the US would be around 20%, but it has plateaued at around 6%-8%, with coastal states having a higher EV market share.
Ford is betting that the pickup form factor, which is desirable in the US, combined with the popularity of the compact form factor in the Maverick, will drive sales of a $30,000 EV pickup.
