Ford is creating a $30,000 midsized EV pickup

Regardless of the approaching loss of federal rebates, Ford plans to offer US EV manufacturing an enormous increase. After hyping it last week as a “breakthrough” and “Mannequin T second,” the corporate has introduced a brand new Common EV Platform to be shared by a brand new household of merchandise. The primary of these can be a midsized pickup with a beginning value of round $30,000, probably comparable in configuration to the popular Maverick. It’ll use the corporate’s new prismatic LFP (lithium iron phosphate) batteries.

Ford will make investments $5 billion, together with $2 billion at its Louisville, Kentucky manufacturing unit on prime of $3 billion already introduced for its BlueOval battery plant. It’ll increase the Louisville facility by 52,000 sq. toes and “create or safe” almost 4,000 direct jobs, Ford added.

Ford’s solely two EVs proper now are the F-150 Lightning and Mustang Mach-E, each of which use one-off platforms. With the Common EV Platform, Ford will be capable of construct a number of automobiles together with vans, automobiles and pickups that must be simpler to construct and thus cheaper. “The outcome: a easy, environment friendly, versatile ecosystem to ship a household of reasonably priced, electrical, software-defined automobiles,” the corporate stated.

Ford stated that the platform will scale back elements by 20 p.c versus a typical automobile, with fewer fasteners and workstations and a 15 p.c faster meeting time. The corporate can be promising a decrease value of possession over 5 years “than a three-year-old used Tesla Mannequin Y.”

The corporate additionally touted its LFP prismatic batteries as enabling house and weight financial savings together with value reductions, because of the cobalt-free and nickel-free composition. Nonetheless, the corporate’s alternative of LFP for its next-gen EVs has not been with out controversy. Since Ford is licensing tech from China’s CATL, it could lose out on tax credit of as much as $700 million if Congress passes a invoice banning federal help for battery crops that use tech or supplies from China.

The primary automobile can be a mid-sized four-door electrical pickup set to launch in 2027. Ford hasn’t but revealed the identify or proven a photograph, however it’ll supposedly have extra room than Toyota’s newest RAV4 with out even counting the frunk and truck mattress. Consumers will be capable of lock gear like bikes or surfboards into that mattress, eliminating the necessity for roof or trailer hitch racks. It’ll have a low heart of gravity from the battery, instantaneous torque and a 0 to 60 mph time “as quick as a Mustang EcoBoost [around 4.5 seconds], with extra downforce,” Ford stated.

Ford hasn’t detailed different automobiles that can be constructed on the platform, however an animation exhibits a spread starting from utility vans to crossovers to SUVs to sedans, together with the aforementioned pickup. One rumor states that the brand new pickup could possibly be known as the Ranchero (primarily based on a trademark submitting) or it could use the Ranger identify. In any case, it is clearly an enormous deal for Ford, for the reason that firm may have at least three bulletins for it. Extra data for the midsized electrical truck, together with reveal date, beginning value, battery vary and cost instances “can be communicated later,” Ford merely stated.