Ford's 'Model T Moment' Promises a $30,000 Mid-Sized Electric Truck

Ford has revealed a whole new universal EV platform, along with a rethink of production lines to make it all happen.

Ford's 21st-century "Model T" moment is here. At the brand's Louisville, Kentucky, plant, CEO Jim Farley and numerous other Blue Oval higher-ups talked up the next era of electrification at Ford. For consumers, the big news is the promise of a mid-sized electric pickup priced at just $30,000—though it won't arrive until 2027. Just how Ford is going to deliver on that promise is arguably the bigger news, however, with a nearly $2 billion investment in the plant that sees a big change in how vehicles are produced.

Underpinning this new, as-yet-unnamed pickup will be the Ford Universal EV Platform. This foundation uses prismatic lithium-ion phosphate batteries, meaning no cobalt or nickel is used in the cells. Ford says efficiency is up roughly a third over first-generation battery packs, which translates to lighter platforms and more range from the same capacity.

To get to its affordability goals, Ford has focused on simplifying and streamlining the production process as well as components. Take the wiring harness: Ford has chopped around 4,000 feet of wire from the harness compared to the one found in the Mach-E.

Instead of the existing A-to-B production line approach, the Universal EV Platform will usher in a Universal EV Production System. Ford describes this as more like a tree than a line. Thanks to improvements with large castings, vehicles will now be built in sections: the front, the rear, and the central section, the latter of which includes the battery pack and other structural components. The change-up should not only reduce the number of parts per vehicle by around 20 percent; it should shrink the number of fasteners by 25 percent and workstations by 40 percent, with an expected 15-percent improvement in production time. Ford expects the Universal EV Production System will be the quickest of its kind once it's up and running. Unlike other brands, Ford has not added in support for non-electrified powertrains with this new setup.

The simplification process should allow for a greater variety of vehicle shapes with minimal retooling. To that end, Ford teased numerous shapes as part of today's announcement. Not only is there a crew-cab pickup, there are one- and two-row van shapes, a smaller hatchback, and a large three-row SUV.

And what of that upcoming truck? We're still a way out from official images or specs, but Ford let slip a few goalposts. The pickup will have a footprint similar to the existing Maverick, while Ford is targeting more interior volume than the current Toyota RAV4—that's before factoring in a frunk or the bed, too. In terms of performance, the engineering team is targeting straight-line quickness on par with the EcoBoost Mustang—so figure sub-5 seconds to 62 mph (100 km/h). Before you ask: no, this new truck won't replace the Maverick.

While there isn't a lot to actually see yet, needless to say this is a dramatic rethink of electric vehicle production from Ford. Whether Ford can deliver—to say nothing of the external influences in the market these days—is the $2 billion dollar question. We look forward to finding out.

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