Ford is planning a new electric pickup truck starting at $30,000 to compete with Chinese automakers. The company is taking a Formula 1 approach, using 3D-printed LEGO-style parts to improve aerodynamics and implementing rewards programs to keep it from undermining profitability, TechCrunch reports.
Ford is now trying to stabilize its strategy in the electric vehicle market after the company announced in December that it would end production of the electric F-150, launch a hybrid version, and reforms that led to losses of $19.5 billion. Tesla veteran Alan Clark, who led the Skunkworks team a few years ago, is responsible for this.
The automaker will use a universal platform for electric vehicles, which will initially become the basis for pickup trucks, and then be able to support sedans, crossovers, three-row SUVs and small commercial vans.
“It’s a platform that is built around efficiency,” Clarke said at a media briefing. “It’s built around affordability to be able to make long-range electric vehicle travel affordable to more people.”
To achieve his goals, Clark will recruit talent from Formula 1, Apple, Lucid Motors, Rivian, Tesla and Auto Motive Power, a startup that Ford acquired in 2023. Employees are offered a rewards program with a focus on performance to help them understand how their decisions affect customers and the end product.
Clarke notes that Ford is focused on making sure that costs don’t detract from the value of the product. As an example, he cites the fact that even in the basic configuration, electric cars will get a power-folding mirror, usually found in premium versions of cars. By using one motor instead of two to adjust and fold the mirror, the company will be able to save money.
They also enlisted the help of former Formula 1 engineers to improve efficiency, helping to make the mid-size electric vehicle 15 percent more aerodynamically efficient than any other pickup truck on the market. The engineering team also used 3D-printed and machined parts to create a LEGO-like structure with thousands of components that can be swapped out in minutes to measure aerodynamics.
Ford is also using a smaller battery pack, thanks to the lighter and more efficient design, which further helps reduce costs. Clark says the result is an electric vehicle with a range that is 15 percent greater than equivalent gasoline-powered pickups.
Among other things, the team has adopted some of Tesla’s tactics, such as using aluminum unibody parts and moving from a 12-volt to a 48-volt power system. Another similarity to Tesla is its zoning approach, where instead of scattering dozens of electronic control units (ECUs), or computers, throughout the car, Ford has integrated several functions into five main modules. The company is also developing its own software for these ECUs.
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