On Tuesday, the company introduced what it calls the Ford Universal EV Platform and the Ford Universal EV Production System—an integrated approach to designing and building a new generation of electric vehicles. The first model, a midsize, four-door electric pickup, will be assembled in Louisville, Ky., and is scheduled to debut in 2027 for both domestic and export markets.
The undertaking reflects a philosophical shift for Ford. Instead of gradually adapting existing gasoline-powered vehicle designs and assembly lines to produce EVs, the company started from scratch. Jim Farley, Ford’s president and chief executive, said in an interview that a small, California-based skunkworks team had been given license to challenge long-held assumptions about automotive engineering. “We knew there was no incremental path to success,” he said. “From Day 1, we tore up the moving assembly line concept and designed a better one.”
A Leaner, Simpler Electric Platform
The new platform, Ford executives said, is designed to cut complexity at every turn. It uses 20 percent fewer parts than a typical vehicle, requires 25 percent fewer fasteners, and can be assembled with 40 percent fewer workstations. The company says the design allows for a 15 percent reduction in assembly time compared with current Ford models, resulting in lower production costs and, ultimately, a lower purchase price for customers.
One key to this efficiency is a reimagined wiring harness. In the forthcoming midsize truck, it will be more than 4,000 feet shorter and about 22 pounds lighter than the harness used in Ford’s first-generation electric SUV. That change alone, executives said, improves both efficiency and driving range.
The vehicle will also use lithium iron phosphate prismatic batteries, known as LFPs, which are cobalt- and nickel-free. Built as a structural component of the vehicle’s floor, the battery pack saves weight, lowers the center of gravity for better handling, and frees up interior space. Ford says the truck will offer more passenger room than a Toyota RAV4, in addition to a lockable bed and a “frunk,” or front trunk, for extra storage.
Despite its focus on utility, the truck is being engineered for driving enjoyment. Farley said it will accelerate from zero to 60 miles per hour as quickly as a Mustang EcoBoost and deliver “obsessive” chassis tuning for performance.
Rethinking the Assembly Line
Perhaps the most radical change lies in how the vehicles will be built. The Ford Universal EV Production System replaces the century-old concept of a single, linear assembly line with what the company describes as an “assembly tree.” Instead of moving down one conveyor belt, the vehicle is assembled in three major sub-assemblies—the front, the rear, and the battery—each constructed in parallel before being brought together.
This approach, Ford said, allows for large single-piece aluminum castings, known as unicastings, to replace dozens of smaller components. Workers receive parts in kits, complete with fasteners and tools in the correct orientation, reducing physical strain and assembly errors. The result is a more ergonomic and efficient process, which Ford estimates will be up to 40 percent faster than current assembly methods.
“We put our employees at the center and re-created the factory from scratch,” said Bryce Currie, Ford’s vice president for manufacturing in the Americas. “We expect ergonomic breakthroughs and complexity reduction will flow through to significant quality and cost wins.”
Billions in New Investment
To bring the new truck to market, Ford plans to invest nearly $2 billion in its Louisville Assembly Plant, securing 2,200 hourly jobs. The expansion will add 52,000 square feet to the facility and incorporate a digital infrastructure that Ford says will make it the fastest networked plant in its global operations.
The investment comes with support from the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority. In a statement, Gov. Andy Beshear called it “one of the largest investments on record in our state” and said it would “boost Kentucky’s position at the center of EV-related innovation.”
Louisville will not stand alone in this effort. The truck’s LFP batteries will be produced at Ford’s BlueOval Battery Park Michigan, a $3 billion facility slated to begin operations next year. Together, the two projects represent roughly $5 billion in spending and are expected to create or secure nearly 4,000 jobs while deepening Ford’s ties to U.S.-based suppliers.
The Stakes for Ford
Ford is entering a critical phase in its electric vehicle strategy. Industrywide EV sales have grown but not at the pace many automakers predicted, in part because of high prices and limited charging infrastructure. Tesla remains the dominant player in the American EV market, and several newer entrants, from Rivian to Lucid, are vying for market share.
Farley acknowledged that Ford’s history is dotted with well-intentioned but ultimately unsuccessful attempts to mass-produce affordable vehicles. “We’ve all lived through far too many ‘good college tries’ by Detroit automakers that ended with idled plants and layoffs,” he said. “This had to be a strong, sustainable, and profitable business.”
To that end, the new platform and production system are designed to be adaptable for multiple vehicle types beyond the midsize truck. Ford executives said the goal is to create a family of electric, software-defined vehicles that can be updated and improved over time—offering not just transportation, but a suite of connected services.
Doug Field, Ford’s chief EV, digital and design officer, compared the effort to the Model T, which transformed the automotive industry more than a century ago. “We assembled a brilliant collection of minds across Ford and unleashed them to find new solutions to old problems,” he said. “Our new zonal electric architecture unlocks capabilities the industry has never seen.”
Whether the new approach will deliver on its promise will not be known for several years. But Ford’s bet on a clean-sheet design, combined with its commitment to American manufacturing, marks one of the company’s most ambitious efforts since the days of Henry Ford. If it succeeds, it could reshape not only the company’s future, but the economics of electric vehicles in the United States.