Ford is rolling out a new battery-electric vehicle architecture dubbed the Ford Universal EV Platform.
The automaker said this Universal EV Platform will debut underneath a midsize pickup that is set to launch in 2027.
Ford will also invest in its BlueOval Battery Park in Michigan and the Louisville, Kentucky, assembly facility.
In what Ford calls a Model T moment, the automaker is rolling out a new battery-electric platform and dumping money into its factories.
Ford said this upcoming EV architecture will use significantly fewer parts to help reduce cost and mass, as well as roll out its use of American-made lithium-ion phosphate prismatic battery cells.
Ford also has a new way of manufacturing to further reduce time and cost for this Universal EV Platform at its Louisville, Kentucky, manufacturing facility.
Midsize BEV Truck Is Coming
Details about this upcoming BEV truck—like powertrain, range, or anything tangible—are still tucked in some Ford product planner’s laptop.
But Ford said this budget BEV is intended to achieve cost reductions, using 20% fewer parts and 25% fewer fasteners.
There will be 40% fewer workstations in the plant, and it will be able to churn these out 15% quicker, the automaker said. Most importantly, Ford said it's targeting an affordable, $30,000 price tag.
This upcoming all-electric midsize pickup will come in the nearly prerequisite four-door silhouette, while boasting as much passenger volume as a Toyota RAV4, Ford said.
The performance metrics were discussed loosely, too, and Ford said it will target the 0-60 mph time as a current EcoBoost-powered Mustang. For those wondering, the folks at Car and Driver clicked off a 4.5-second sprint to 60 with the 2.3-liter turbocharged Mustang.
Assembly Tree Production
Ford said this new EV platform will usher in a new assembly process, referred to as an “assembly tree.”
Instead of just running a car down a single long conveyor, Ford will operate this new line as three sub-assemblies running simultaneously. These lines will then merge the major sub-assemblies to form the vehicle.
When discussing the new process, Ford let the world know this upcoming EV platform will use large aluminum castings to consolidate parts and allow the front and rear of the vehicle to be assembled separately.
While Ford said this upcoming EV pickup is scheduled to see the road in 2027, these moves won’t come cheap.
Ford is throwing $2 billion at the Louisville, Kentucky, assembly facility to upgrade the site for the truck. The company will also spend $3 billion at its BlueOval Battery Park Michigan site to manufacture the LFP cells.
If Ford is targeting this new BEV pickup to hit the roads in 2027, the company needs to upgrade its battery production and Kentucky assembly plants in a hurry.
It will also be interesting to see what Ford has planned for this upcoming EV platform, other than the looming EV pickup.
Do you think Ford will push the next-generation Mustang Mach-E onto this platform? Tell us your thoughts below.
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