Ford is gearing up to launch an affordable electric truck next year, aiming to compete with Chinese manufacturers while maintaining profitability. By leveraging cutting-edge techniques such as 3D printing, Formula 1 methodologies, and an innovative bounty program, Ford is setting the stage for a competitive $30,000 EV truck.
After incurring a significant $19.5 billion loss last December and ceasing production of its F-150 Lightning, Ford is under pressure to ensure the success of its new EV strategy.
Ford’s journey toward cost-effective EVs began years ago, spearheaded by a specialized team led by Tesla veteran Alan Clarke. In August, Ford announced a $2 billion investment in its Louisville plant, moving away from traditional assembly lines to a system that speeds up production by 15%.
These new EVs will be developed using a universal platform with single-piece aluminum castings and lithium iron phosphate batteries, utilizing technology licensed from China’s CATL.
Through a series of updates, Ford shared its vision of producing a desirable EV truck that undercuts the average new vehicle price by $20,000 while still being profitable. Although specific features like range and charging times remain undisclosed, Ford detailed its approach to manufacturing lighter, more efficient EVs with fewer components.
The centerpiece of this initiative is the universal EV platform (UEV), initially designed for a midsized truck but adaptable for various vehicle types, including sedans and SUVs. This represents Ford’s first EV built from scratch, a departure from its previous methods with the Mustang Mach-E and Lightning models.
“It’s a platform that is built around efficiency,” Clarke stated during a media briefing, emphasizing affordability and long-range travel access.
Clarke’s team, comprised of talent from diverse tech and automotive backgrounds, including Formula 1, Apple, and Tesla, adopted a bounty program to ensure that engineering decisions directly benefit the consumer. This program emphasized efficiency, assigning numerical metrics to aspects like vehicle mass and aerodynamics.
“We’ve been very focused on making sure that the cost that we’re moving from the product doesn’t remove value,” Clarke explained. An example is the inclusion of a power-folding mirror in the base model to enhance aerodynamic efficiency, achieved by using a single motor for both mirror adjustment and folding.
The collaboration with former Formula 1 engineers resulted in a midsized EV truck that boasts 15% greater aerodynamic efficiency compared to existing pickups. They employed 3D-printed parts for rapid prototyping, allowing for quick aerodynamic testing.
Focusing on battery efficiency, which constitutes a significant portion of vehicle costs, enabled Ford to use smaller, less expensive batteries while still achieving a 15% range increase over gas-powered equivalents.
Adopting strategies popularized by Tesla, Ford moved to aluminum unicastings and a 48-volt system for some vehicle functions. This approach simplifies the vehicle’s architecture and reduces costs.
Ford’s zonal architecture integrates multiple vehicle functions into five main modules rather than dispersing numerous electronic control units, reducing complexity, cost, and copper usage. This design choice resulted in a wire harness that is significantly shorter and lighter, as noted by Ford software engineer Luccas Di Tullio.
Di Tullio highlighted the consolidation of power electronic components into a single module that manages power distribution and offers AC power during outages. By developing proprietary software for its ECUs, Ford gains flexibility and control over vehicle functionalities, enhancing the driving experience.
“So you can imagine that many of the experiences that can only be created by coupling all the different sensors around the vehicle are now at our fingertips and under our own control,” Clarke explained regarding Ford’s software strategy.
Original Story at techcrunch.com