Latest news with #UniversalEV
Miami Herald
2 days ago
- Automotive
- Miami Herald
Ford's $30K Electric Pickup Could Crush Jeff Bezos-Backed Rival
With a targeted price tag of just $30,000, the new battery-electric pickup Ford Motor Co. announced this week promises good news for buyers looking for an all-electric truck that won't break the bank. Costing barely half as much as the typical EV sold in the U.S. this year, Ford is betting it will position the automaker as one of the leaders in the EV market. That could be bad news for another brand focused solely on the affordable EV segment, the Jeff Bezos-backed Slate Auto, which in April revealed its own electric pickup it currently expects to start delivering next year at a starting price of $27,000. While Slate would appear to have an advantage when it comes to cost, Ford's "Universal EV" has lots going for it, with Sam Abuelsamid, chief analyst at Telemetry Research, declaring "Slate is cooked." After surging eightfold between 2019 and 2023, EV sales have since lost much of their momentum, market share sliding to just 8.6% at the end of the first half of 2025, according to Cox Automotive data. Part of the problem is that early adopters have largely already gotten the vehicles they want. Further growth depends upon targeting more mainstream buyers. That isn't easy, however, when the average transaction price for an EV was $55,689 in July, according to Kelley Blue Book. For all new vehicles sold in the U.S. last month, the average, or ATP, was $48,401. Complicating matters: the $7,500 federal tax credit many EV customers depended on will go away at the end of the September due to the federal budget bill enacted last month. To kickstart the market, analysts widely agree, means bringing out more new EVs priced in the low $30,000 range, and even below that figure. Ford says it's on track to get there thanks to the secret "skunkworks" program it set up in Long Beach, California three years ago. A small product development team came up with what they're calling the "Universal EV." Echoing what happened when founder Henry Ford switched on his first moving assembly line in 1913, Ford is setting up a completely new manufacturing process at a plant in Louisville, Kentucky. The ultimate goal is to produce an extended family of low-price battery-electric vehicles. In 2027 that will begin with a 4-door pickup with a "targeted price," said Ford, of $30,000. Details have yet to be released but Kumar Galhotra, Ford's Chief Operating Officer, made it clear the truck won't be just an econobox. "We do not believe that you need to strip out features, functionality, screens or even seats to make a vehicle affordable. We will achieve affordability by radically simplifying parts and process." Ford is by no means the only automaker feverishly working to shave EV prices. General Motors is readying an all-new version of the Chevrolet Bolt, its first long-range all-electric model set to debut this year. Kia has the EV4 coming, Nissan is finishing work on the next-generation Leaf and Tesla keeps promising its own entry model Then there's Slate Auto, based in the Detroit suburb of Troy. "We are building the affordable vehicle that has long been promised but never delivered," CEO Chris Barman said in April as she pulled the cover off an all-electric 2-door pickup. As with its more established rival, the Slate team poured over every aspect of automotive design, engineering and manufacturing. The truck's body will be made of unpainted gray polypropylene, rather than the normal steel or aluminum, for one thing. Unlike Ford's electric truck, meanwhile, the Slate model will be the ultimate example of stripping things down to their bare essentials. There'll be no radio, for example, and you'll have to supply the smartphone or tablet if you want an infotainment system. Even the windows will be hand-cranked. "I like simplifying things and making a lot of things optional for customers," said analyst Abuelsamid, "But they've gone too far." But one also has to take the promises made by both companies with a healthy dose of skepticism, cautioned Brinley. "How many times have we seen automakers set a price target but then end up coming in at $2,000, $3,000, even $5,000 more." And it remains to be seen, she added, whether either company will meet its planned production date. That's a common problem across the auto industry and Tesla has shown that this is particularly problematic for start-ups. Ford, for its part, is confident it can deliver, and then gain a real leg up on its competitors in the bid to drive down EV prices. The number two U.S. manufacturer is particularly hopeful the Universal EV project will allow it to challenge the domestic Chinese automakers gaining so much traction around the world. Slate isn't ready to concede defeat. Far from it, the start-up automaker claiming to have so far recorded over 100,000 advance reservations for its truck. But there seems little doubt Ford has now changed the rules of the game in the emerging market for truly affordable EVs. Copyright 2025 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Engadget
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Engadget
Engadget Podcast: How real is Ford's $30,000 EV pickup truck?
Ford has big plans for 2027: This week, the American carmaker announced a new "Universal EV Platform" for future electric cars, spearheaded by a $30,000 mid-sized EV pickup. In this episode, we're joined by SAE International Editor Roberto Baldwin to break down all of Ford's claims, as well as where its $5 billion manufacturing investment is going. Can Ford really rebound after slow EV sales and last year's disappointing product delays? Topics Ford has a plan for a 'Universal EV Platform' and a $30,000 mid-size electric pickup, can they pull it off? – 0:49 OpenAI releases GPT-5, the reception so far is mixed – 24:45 NVIDIA and AMD may tithe 15% of their Chinese GPU sales to the U.S. government – 30:18 Goodbye: AOL will phase out dial-up at the end of September – 33:25 AI-powered 'Smarter Siri' likely won't hit iPhones until Spring 2026 – 36:42 Perplexity makes an unsolicited offer to buy Chrome for $34 billion, which is more than the company is worth – 41:03 Listener Mail: Gaming on a MacBook Air – 52:31 Pop culture picks – 59:13 Host: Devindra Hardawar Guest: Roberto Baldwin Producer: Ben Ellman Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien If you buy something through a link in this article, we may earn commission.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Ford Is Taking on Expensive EVs and the Toyota RAV4 with Its New 'Model T'—a $30K Mid-Size EV Truck
Ford announced its new Universal EV platform, which will support a variety of vehicles, starting with a mid-size electric truck that will enter production in 2027. The truck will be roughly the size of the current gas-powered , but Ford says interior space will match that of a . The truck will start around $30,000 and be as quick as a . Last month, Ford CEO Jim Farley promised a radical "breakthrough" electric vehicle, even going as far as to dub it a "Model T moment." Now, Ford has shown its hand, announcing the new Universal EV platform and Universal EV production system, both of which will support the launch of a new mid-size electric pickup truck due to start production in 2027. An Affordable Electric Truck While Ford describes the truck as a mid-size vehicle, the company explained at a media briefing that the truck will actually have a footprint similar to that of the compact Maverick, but with increased cabin space thanks to the electric architecture. In fact, Ford claims the truck will have more passenger room than the Toyota RAV4, not including the cargo space afforded by the frunk and the bed. While most details about the truck are still under wraps, Ford confirmed that the platform uses a 400-volt electrical architecture. While this will mean slower charging speeds than EVs with 800-volt systems, Ford said it was the "right choice" due to the vehicle's size and the goal of a low starting price. The pickup will also be capable of over-the-air updates and will feature BlueCruise, Ford's hands-free driving-assist system. The five-seat truck will start at around $30,000, Ford said, and that low cost is thanks to the Universal EV platform. Ford claims that the platform has 20 percent fewer parts versus a typical vehicle and 25 percent fewer fasteners. One key factor in minimizing complexity is the new truck's wiring harness, which Ford says is 4000 feet shorter and around 22 pounds lighter than the unit used in the Mustang Mach E. Another way Ford will keep costs down is by using lithium-ion phosphate (LFP) batteries, which the automaker says also save space and weight. The battery pack will form a structural sub-assembly that is also the floor of the vehicle. Ford touts a low center of gravity as a result of that design, promising engaging handling. The truck should also be fairly quick, with Ford targeting a zero-to-60-mph time on par with the Mustang EcoBoost, which we've tested at 4.5 seconds to 60 mph. The pickup truck will be built at Ford's Louisville Assembly Plant in Kentucky for both the U.S. and export markets. Production will start in 2027, so the truck will likely arrive for the 2028 model year. Ford predicts a lower cost of ownership for its electric pickup over five years than a three-year-old used Tesla Model Y. Ford says the platform will spawn a family of "affordable, electric, software-defined vehicles." While Ford wouldn't go into too many details on what other vehicles are coming, a graphic showed a vehicle transforming through a variety of SUV, truck, and van shapes. The company also said at the briefing that it was working on "everything from vans to three-row SUVs down to B-segment vehicles." Increased Production Efficiency Along with a new EV platform, Ford is rethinking how it builds cars with the Universal EV production system, trading the traditional assembly line for an "assembly tree." The long, single conveyor system will be replaced by three sub-assemblies that run at the same time and eventually meet up further down the line. Ford will also use large, single-piece aluminum unicastings, allowing the front and rear of the vehicle to be built separately and joined later. The front and rear subframes will be linked by the third sub-assembly, the aforementioned structural battery pack. Ford says operators on the assembly tree will receive a kit that has all of the parts, fasteners, scanners, and power tools needed for their task, already set up in the correct orientation. This will create a quicker and more efficient assembly process, with the company claiming that it will require 40 percent fewer work stations and a 15 percent faster assembly time than the vehicles currently built in Louisville. The new electric truck will see Ford invest almost $2 billion into the Louisville factory, securing 2200 hourly jobs. Ford acknowledged that the figure represents 600 fewer hourly jobs than what Louisville currently supports, but said those employees will either be offered a buyout or a transfer to another plant. The investment will see the Louisville facility expanded by 52,000 square feet. The battery for the mid-size truck will be built at the new BlueOval Battery Park in Michigan, which was part of a previously announced $3 billion investment. The introduction of the new electric pickup truck and Universal EV production system will result in the demise of Louisville's current products, the Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair. Production of the two compact SUVs will conclude later this year, and Ford says there is enough inventory for sales to continue well into 2026. You Might Also Like Car and Driver's 10 Best Cars through the Decades How to Buy or Lease a New Car Lightning Lap Legends: Chevrolet Camaro vs. Ford Mustang!
