With the Philippines joining Ford’s electrification journey with the Mustang Mach-E and Territory Hybrid, the company has just announced revolutionary developments in both engineering and manufacturing of its upcoming battery electric vehicles. The Ford Universal EV Platform and the Ford Universal EV Production System bring together the expertise and scale of a 122-year old carmaker with the speed, innovation, and first-principles of a California-based EV hardware and software “skunkworks” team.
The Ford Universal EV Platform will spawn a family of at least eight affordable, electric, software-defined vehicles—the first of which is a midsize, four-door electric pickup truck with a starting price of just USD 30,000 (P 1.71 million). It’s confirmed for both the U.S. and global markets with a launch window scheduled for some time in 2027.
The platform reduces the number of parts by 20 percent versus a typical vehicle with 25 percent fewer fasteners, 40 percent fewer workstations dock-to-dock at the assembly plant, and 15 percent faster assembly time thanks to increased insourcing and automation. It will also support over-the-air (OTA) updates to keep on improving the vehicle throughout its life.
For example, compared to the Mustang Mach-E, the wiring harness used in the new EV midsized truck will be 1.3 kilometers shorter and weigh 10 kilograms lighter.
The new truck will have more passenger room than the just-announced Toyota RAV4 on top of a front trunk and truck bed. It’s targeted to have a 0 to 100 km/h time as fast as a Mustang EcoBoost while producing more downforce. Its five-year cost of ownership is projected to be lower than a Tesla Model Y.
Powering vehicles using the Ford Universal EV Platform are lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) prismatic batteries produced in-house by Ford at their BlueOval Battery Park in Michigan. Not only do the LFP batteries contribute to cost reduction and increased durability, but they also act as a structural sub-assembly that also serves as the vehicle’s floor. This low center of gravity improves handling, creates a quiet cabin, and provides a surprising amount of interior space.
Vehicles that run on the Ford Universal EV Platform will be built at the Louisville Assembly Plant where the carmaker will implement a new Ford Universal EV Production System.
Instead of one long conveyor, three sub-assemblies run down their own lines simultaneously and then join together.
Large single-piece aluminum unicastings 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.
Because of the integration between the Ford Universal EV Production System and Platform, assembly of the midsize electric truck could be up to 40 percent faster than Louisville Assembly Plant’s current vehicles Digital infrastructure upgrades will give Louisville Assembly Plant the fastest network with the most access points out of any Ford plant globally, enabling more quality scans.
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