Ford is overhauling its electric vehicle approach after the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning failed to deliver the scale and profitability the company wanted. A 350-person team in Long Beach is developing a new mid-size electric pickup priced at about $30,000, built on a simpler Universal EV Platform that Ford says will cut parts, improve repairability, and speed assembly.
Ford is openly acknowledging that its first major electric vehicles did not transform the company in the way it hoped. The Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning found buyers, but not enough to create the volume, profit margins, or market momentum Ford was targeting.
Now the company is making a much deeper bet: a low-cost, mid-size electric pickup expected to start at about $30,000 and arrive next year. Rather than refining its existing EV formula, Ford is rebuilding that formula from the ground up.
A Long Beach team is driving the reset
The new truck is being developed by a 350-person group at Ford’s Electric Vehicle Design Center in Long Beach, California. The team includes longtime Ford engineers as well as recruits from startups and consumer electronics companies, reflecting a broader effort to bring faster, leaner development practices into the automaker’s EV business.
Ford has also given the press a brief preview of the vehicle, though the truck has not been shown in full. The project has been known for some time as part of Ford’s skunkworks-style EV effort, but the company is now offering more detail about how it plans to bring the vehicle to market.
The new Universal EV Platform
At the center of the strategy is Ford’s Universal EV Platform. According to the company, the architecture is built around three large cast components that are joined together before the body is mounted on top.
Ford says this setup is intended to simplify manufacturing and reduce cost. A camouflaged prototype seen by Car and Driver reportedly had a conventional pickup profile and looked roughly similar in size to the current Maverick, though with taller bed sides.
The truck also appears to have a short front end, which should allow for a larger cabin. Ford says the interior will offer more space than a Toyota RAV4, a notable claim for a vehicle that is expected to stay compact enough to fit into Ford’s more affordable EV lineup.
Built to be cheaper to fix
Ford is also focusing on repair costs, an important issue for budget EVs. The company appears to be designing the platform so damaged sections can be cut out and replaced instead of requiring major structural replacement after a minor crash.
To support that, each of the three large cast platform sections will include cut lines, according to Ford’s chief engineer for advanced vehicle structure architecture. That approach could make repairs simpler and potentially keep insurance and ownership costs lower.
48-volt systems and fewer parts
Another major change is the electrical architecture. The new EVs will use 48-volt systems for most functions, while some features such as lights and power windows will remain on 12 volts.
Ford says the shift reduces wiring, and that 48-volt parts are smaller and lighter than traditional setups. The company also says the new pickup will use 20 percent fewer parts and 50 percent fewer cooling hoses and connections than earlier Ford EVs.
Those changes are supposed to make assembly 15 percent faster. In other words, the vehicle is being engineered not just to cost less to buy, but also to cost less to build and service.
Why Ford is doing this now
Ford’s EV reset reflects a wider reality in the electric vehicle market: early momentum no longer guarantees long-term success. Larger EVs with more complex architectures have often struggled to balance pricing, efficiency, and profitability, while newer competitors have pushed simpler and cheaper models.
For Ford, the challenge is especially important because its first EV wave did not change the market narrative the way the company hoped. A more affordable pickup with fewer parts, easier repairs, and a cleaner manufacturing process could help Ford compete in a segment where price remains one of the strongest selling points.
The truck is due next year, and its success could shape how Ford designs the rest of its electric lineup. If the new platform works as intended, it may become the blueprint for a broader EV strategy built around lower cost and greater manufacturing efficiency.
Why This Matters
Ford’s new pickup is more than a single product announcement. It is a test of whether legacy automakers can redesign EVs around affordability instead of simply electrifying familiar vehicles.
If Ford can deliver a $30,000 electric truck with useful range, practical size, and manageable repair costs, it could pressure rivals to rethink how they build mass-market EVs. If it falls short, it will reinforce the idea that low-cost EVs are still difficult to execute at scale.
Key Specs
- Vehicle: Mid-size electric pickup
- Expected starting price: About $30,000
- Expected arrival: Next year
- Development site: Ford Electric Vehicle Design Center, Long Beach, California
- Team size: 350 people
- Platform: Ford Universal EV Platform
- Platform structure: Three large cast elements
- Interior space: More than a Toyota RAV4, according to Ford
- Parts reduction: 20 percent fewer parts than previous Ford EVs
- Cooling system reduction: 50 percent fewer cooling hoses and connections
- Assembly speed: 15 percent faster
- Electrical system: Primarily 48-volt, with some 12-volt components
Source: Carscoops
