Ford Universal EV Platform Unveiled – New Midsize Pick-Up Truck to Debut in 2027

Ford’s new Universal EV platform will spawn a new midsize pick-up truck later in 2027, plus several other upcoming EVs.

American automotive giant Ford has ramped up its EV plan with several big investments in the technology and production. Part of its $5 billion (RM21.154 billion) investment not only includes prismatic LFP battery production at its BlueOval Battery Park Michigan and nearly 4,000 job creations at its Louisville assembly plant, but also the new Ford Universal EV Platform.

This dedicated EV architecture will be underpinned by a variety of electric cars that the company claims to be affordable, with the first model being a new midsize EV pick-up truck due to debut in 2027.

More on this Universal EV Platform, Ford president and CEO Jim Farley says the new platform reduces the number of parts required by 20% versus a typical vehicle and 25% fewer fasteners, while taking 40% fewer workstations dock-to-dock in the plant and 15% less assembly time. The CEO also claims that the ownership cost over the five years of these new EVs will also be less than a three-year-old used Tesla Model Y.

This new midsize EV pick-up truck could potentially be the long-awaited all-electric version of the Ford Ranger.

As for the first model, Ford announced that it will be a new midsize electric pick-up truck with a target price of $30,000 (RM126,929), potentially making it one of the most affordable EVs ever made by the Detroit giant. It uses a wiring harness system that weighs 10 kg less and features 1.3 km less wiring compared to the one found in Ford’s first-gen EV SUV.

Battery-wise, this unnamed EV pick-up truck will use the prismatic LFP battery pack that promises to be smaller and lighter, with the pack itself being a structural sub-assembly that also serves as the vehicle’s floor for better stability and a lower point of gravity. While no power figures were shared for now, the CEO claims that this EV truck will have a targeted 0-96 km/h (0-60 mph) time equal to the Mustang EcoBoost.

Alongside the new Universal EV Platform, Ford has also introduced its new Ford Universal EV Production system. Taking the Model T production as an inspiration, this new production system will feature a new “assembly tree” concept, where vehicle components are added in sequence instead of all together in a traditional assembly line system.

The core of this system is to have multiple “branches” of the production tree being sub-assemblies with their own lines, and all of them will be running simultaneously before joining together to form the final product. For better production efficiency, large single-piece aluminium uni-castings will replace dozens of smaller parts, enabling the front and rear of the vehicle to be assembled separately.

“The front and rear are then combined with the third sub-assembly, the structural battery, which is independently assembled with seats, consoles, and carpeting, to form the vehicle. Parts travel down the assembly tree to operators in a kit. Within that kit, all fasteners, scanners, and power tools required for the job are included—and in the correct orientation for use,” the company said in its release.

With this new production system, Ford targets the assembly of its new EV truck to be up to 40% faster than the current system used at its Louisville Assembly Plant.