- Ford's first car on its new Universal EV Platform is a small pickup with a $30,000 target price.
- That's right around where the pared-back Slate Truck will end up costing, but Ford made it clear that it's building something very different.
- Ford is looking to save cost with both vehicle and manufacturing efficiencies.
Ford's EV revolution starts with a small pickup truck with a targeted base price of $30,000 when it goes on sale in 2027. This, of course, brings to mind the coming Slate Truck, which had a $20,000 price target before but the Trump Administration's ending of Federal EV incentives and tariffs ended that dream. Slate's truck is very pared-back, a modern take on an old-school pickup without standard power windows or an infotainment system. Ford's truck won't be the same.
"This is not going to be a stripped-down, old-school vehicle as a path to low cost," said Ford's EV chief Doug Field at an event announcing the truck today. He didn't elaborate on that point any further, but it's clear he's talking about the Slate here, a truck that makes a point of being back-to-basics. Field confirmed that the truck would have Ford's hands-free BlueCruise driver-assist system.
The way Ford is aiming to make such a low-cost EV profitable is through various efficiencies through better aerodynamics, lower rolling resistance, and a lighter, simpler set of components. Ford will build cars on its new Universal EV Platform introduced today, unlike any other cars, with three parallel lines that come together at the end for a complete vehicle. Ford is also using Tesla-style castings, which it calls "unicastings."
The new truck will also use a small LFP battery made in the U.S.
Ford very much presented itself as having its back up against the wall with EVs, especially with competition from Chinese automakers, but also startups like Slate and Rivian. It thinks it has a key advantage in introducing this radical new assembly process for this new platform, but also with its century-plus industrial experience.
So, it's safe to assume Ford's coming pickup will have power windows.
