Ford Motors is taking a revolutionary leap in engineering and manufacturing to bring a new family of high-quality, affordable EVs within reach for millions around the world.
The new Ford Universal EV Platform and Ford Universal EV Production System combine the discipline, expertise and scale of the company to launch the new range of affordable EVs.
The first of these vehicles will be a midsize, four-door electric pickup that will be assembled at Ford’s Louisville Assembly Plant for US and export markets, scheduled for 2027.
“We took a radical approach to a very hard challenge: Create affordable vehicles that delight customers in every way that matters – design, innovation, flexibility, space, driving pleasure, and cost of ownership – and do it with American workers,” said Ford President and CEO Jim Farley.
About the Ford Universal EV Platform
The Ford Universal EV Platform reduces parts by 20% versus a typical vehicle, with 25% fewer fasteners, 40% fewer workstations dock-to-dock in the plant and 15% faster assembly time.
For example, the new midsize truck wiring harness will be more than 4,000 feet (1.3 kilometres) shorter and 10 kilograms lighter than the one used in Ford’s first-gen electric SUV.
Lithium iron phosphate (LFP) prismatic batteries also enable space and weight savings, while delivering more affordable EVs for customers.
The platform’s cobalt-free and nickel-free LFP battery pack is a structural sub-assembly that also serves as the vehicle’s floor. This low centre of gravity improves handling, creates a quiet cabin, and provides a surprising amount of interior space.
Improved assembly lines for quicker production
Ford has transformed its assembly line in the quest to produce more efficient and affordable EVs. Instead of one long conveyor, three sub-assemblies run down their own lines simultaneously and then join together, transforming the line into an ‘assembly tree’.
Large single-piece aluminium unicastings replace dozens of smaller parts, enabling the front and rear of the vehicle to be assembled separately.
The Ford Universal EV Production System dramatically improves ergonomics for employees by reducing twisting, reaching and bending, allowing them to focus on the job at hand.
Bryce Currie, Ford vice president, Americas Manufacturing, stated: “We expect ergonomic breakthroughs and complexity reduction – through elimination of parts, connectors and wire – will flow through to significant quality and cost wins.”
Continued investment in US manufacturing
Ford builds on its strong legacy of investing in US vehicle assembly, planning to invest nearly $2bn in the Louisville Assembly Plant to assemble the midsize electric truck, securing 2,200 hourly jobs.
The Louisville Assembly Plant will expand by 52,000 square feet to improve material flow. Digital infrastructure upgrades will give the plant the fastest network with the most access points out of any Ford plant globally, enabling more quality scans.
Ford’s investment in the Louisville Assembly Plant is in addition to its previously announced $3bn investment in BlueOval Battery Park, Michigan, which will build the prismatic LFP batteries for the midsize electric truck starting next year.
Together, the investments total approximately $5bn, and between the two plants, Ford expects to create or secure nearly 4,000 direct jobs while strengthening the domestic supply chain with dozens of new US-based suppliers.
