Early renderings launched by Ford Motor of its next-generation, electrical pickup truck, based mostly on its upcoming common electrical automobile platform.
Courtesy Ford
DETROIT — Ford Motor‘s $5 billion “wager” on its subsequent era of all-electric automobiles will function a budding know-how that Tesla commercialized within the U.S. on its Cybertruck, the Detroit automaker stated Tuesday.
The system, referred to as a 48-volt electrical structure, had been mentioned within the automotive trade for many years however Tesla was the primary to carry it to shoppers in 2023.
The auto trade has traditionally used a 12-volt system with a lead-acid battery for all automobiles to energy the automotive’s equipment — however that is been problematic and brought on remembers for a lot of EVs. The brand new structure as a substitute makes use of the EV’s high-voltage battery to energy every part.
The 48-volt system improves effectivity, permits for extra electrical bandwidth and saves weight by way of the discount of wiring, officers have stated. The ability additionally will be “stepped down” to 12 volts, when wanted, by way of the usage of new digital management models, or ECUs, that deal with totally different teams of an EV’s structure.
The brand new electrical system is one in every of many inventions that Ford believes will enable its next-generation EVs — beginning with a $30,000 small electrical pickup truck in 2027 — to compete towards Tesla in addition to quickly increasing Chinese language manufacturers in world markets.
“At Ford, we took on the problem many others have stopped doing. We’re taking the struggle to our competitors, together with the Chinese language,” Ford CEO Jim Farley stated throughout an August occasion at a plant in Kentucky that can produce the unnamed electrical pickup. “For too lengthy, legacy automakers performed it protected.”
Farley has known as it a “Mannequin T second” for the corporate, referring to the corporate’s flagship automobile that got here out greater than a century in the past and led to the mass adoption of automobiles throughout the early 1900s. He is additionally known as it a “wager” for Ford given the quantity of adjustments it would make to the EVs in addition to the corporate and its processes.
Ford expects the brand new EVs, which will likely be based mostly on a standard “Common Electrical Car,” or UEV, to have comparable prices to gas-powered automobiles by way of new applied sciences and efficiencies. At the moment, the huge batteries that energy EVs have made them far dearer to provide and have been infamously unprofitable.
The Detroit automaker has stated the brand new EVs will scale back elements by 20% versus a typical automobile, with 25% fewer fasteners, 40% fewer workstations dock-to-dock within the plant and 15% sooner meeting time.
“It represents probably the most radical change on how we design and the way we construct automobiles at Ford for the reason that Mannequin T,” Farley stated on the plant. “Now’s time to vary the sport as soon as once more.”
Ford CEO Jim Farley speaks on the Louisville Meeting Plant as the corporate shares its plans to design and assemble breakthrough electrical automobiles in america, Aug. 11, 2025.
Courtesy: Ford
Ford stated these enhancements, in addition to value factors which can be extra just like gas-powered fashions, will result in better adoption of EVs. That is regardless of a major slowdown in U.S. EV gross sales amid adjustments to federal assist by the Trump administration in addition to less-than-expected client adoption.
U.S. EV gross sales peaked in September, forward of the federal incentives ending, at 10.3% of the brand new automobile market, in response to Cox Automotive. That demand plummeted to preliminary estimates of 5.8% throughout the fourth quarter.
These market situations not too long ago led Ford to announce $19.5 billion in write-downs, largely associated to a pullback in EV plans, however the firm stated it would proceed to make investments $5 billion for its new UEV platform by way of 2027.
“Our focus has been on giving them every part they might get in a pleasant automobile and extra, and we expect that that can enable us to in the end not simply make an inexpensive automobile, however make one which’s extraordinarily fascinating,” Alan Clarke, Ford’s government director of superior EV improvement, stated throughout a media briefing.
48-volt system
The 48-volt system gives vital advantages to different elements of the automobile other than simply the battery and is anticipated to proceed to take action because the bandwidth of 12-volt batteries will get maxed out, in accordance Clarke, a former Tesla government.
“It is inexpensive, has smaller wires and is the way forward for automotive,” he stated. “So, if you wish to future-protect this platform to exist for greater than a decade … it is very clear that 48 made probably the most sense.”
Alan Clarke, Ford’s government director of superior EV improvement, throughout a video presentation on Ford’s Common Electrical Car platform.
Courtesy Ford
Ford stated the wiring harness within the new midsize truck will likely be greater than 4,000 toes shorter and 22 kilos lighter than the wiring harness utilized in Ford’s first-generation electrical SUV.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk despatched opponents reminiscent of Ford and Common Motors a “how-to” information on creating a 48-volt system in 2023.
Clarke stated Ford had already selected a 48-volt platform earlier than getting the letter however that it “actually added gasoline to the hearth” and was a “useful start line to see how they considered” it. It additionally helped suppliers prepare to help with 48-volt methods, he added.
Gigacastings
Along with the 48-volt system, the corporate on Tuesday launched extra particulars on the way it’s attaining its targets with the brand new EV by way of aerodynamics, staff “bounties” to extend automobile effectivity and turning to Tesla-pioneered “gigacastings.”
Gigacasting is a producing course of that may exchange dozens of historically small, stamped elements with bigger items. The method requires large machines to pressurize giant sheets of steel into elements reminiscent of a automobile’s facia or underlying construction.
A Ford F-150 Lightning subsequent to a Tesla Cybertruck.
Michael Wayland / CNBC
Ford stated the brand new pickup will solely have two structural entrance and rear elements in contrast with 146 such elements on its present gas-powered Maverick small pickup.
Ford additionally stated its aluminum castings for the upcoming EV are greater than 27% lighter than these options on a Tesla Mannequin Y.
“We’re nonetheless on a very steep decline of EV prices, and you’ll solely get that by innovating, and you’ll solely get that by system degree, optimizing into what finally turns into a product {that a} buyer needs,” Clarke stated.
