Ford has announced that it will launch a new range of affordable electric vehicles based on an all-new EV platform. The carmaker says that the new EVs will be created with a new ‘revolutionary’ process. Ford goes on to say that it will be as revolutionary as the arrival of the Model T. The new Universal EV Platform, created during a three-year skunkworks project, will be first used for a mid-size, double-cab pick-up truck that will arrive in 2027. The expected price will be around 30,000 USD. Ford CEO Jim Farley said more models will follow. These would include a hatchback, crossover, van and a three-bench SUV. These are also expected to be priced in the same ballpark as the pickup truck. The new EVs will be built at Ford’s Louisville plant in the US, and are expected to be offered globally. Farley proclaimed “from Kentucky to the world” when speaking about the new platform. Making in the US and exporting to the world will be seen as a win for the carmaker and President Trump. The United States recently signed trade deals with the UK and EU, which lowered import levies on US-made vehicles sent to those markets. The new truck is expected to take the Ranchero name, according to US media. No technical details about the new platform have been revealed, but Farley said the pick-up will use prismatic lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery cells made at Ford’s new Blue Oval Battery Park in Michigan. This means the pick-up will offer “amazing” range and store enough energy to “power a house for six days”, said Farley. He went on to add that the new pickup will be “faster than a Mustang twin-turbo”, offer “very fast” charging and feature an operating system that can be updated over the air. Farley said the new platform has been created to focus mainly on interior space, making the new truck “more spacious inside than a Toyota RAV4”. It will also have a frunk. Ford will be using three lines to make the vehicles, assembling the front, rear and core structure (which includes the platform, battery, seats and interior) on separate lines, which will come together at the end. Farley went on to say, “Our competitors build their vehicles in Asia and import them from abroad. This is not what we are doing. We took on the challenge that others have stopped doing. “This project is bigger than Ford motor cars. It is about our country.” Source: Autocar UK
