Earlier this week, Ford invited journalists to its Electric Vehicle Development Center in Long Beach, California. And what gives!? I’m right in Los Angeles! But then I heard that they sorta saw nothing, and I guess it’s fine… This time…<\/p>\n
It doesn’t seem they learned much about Ford’s electric pickup, so I guess they somehow don’t know much more than we do on the outside. But they\u00a0did<\/em> get to see a very fast, camouflaged glimpse at the development mule as it drove between two buildings. I’m not sure if that was Ford’s intention. But Car and Driver<\/strong> reported on it: “It was enough to persuade reporters that the new EV would visually resemble a traditional truck from a distance.”<\/p>\n There you have it: The long-awaited, much-discussed Ford mid-size electric pickup will look like a truck.<\/p>\n I guess I’m not sure what we were expecting the electric pickup to look like, now that I think about it. But I was envisioning a pretty simple truck. Maybe there would be some electric-y elements, like modern LED headlights, but I pictured it being very basic. I mean, the truck will only be $30,000<\/a>. I wasn’t expecting anything extravagant or groundbreaking. If anything, I was picturing it going a bit backward in design language and quality.<\/p>\n The truck also ends up costing about $30,000 due to Ford’s new production plans, largely revolving around the Universal Electric Vehicle (UEV) platform. This includes large castings that require far fewer panels and components to assemble, making the production process faster and the product cheaper. Again, I’d not expect anything too exciting from this process. Ford recently won its\u00a0battle to register the “Ranchero” name, but I wasn’t expecting this pickup to be a ute \u2014 the UEV platform is meant to be, well,\u00a0universal<\/em>, so Ford can use it across<\/span>\u00a0a variety of its cheap electric vehicles.<\/p>\n The reporters got to see some of Ford’s UEV components up close as well as the pickup truck’s body structure, which would be placed over those parts at the end of the body assembly. From this small clue, Car and Driver expects the electric pickup to be slightly larger than the Maverick, with a longer cab, wider front doors, and a shorter nose.<\/p>\n It’s nothing groundbreaking. But I think that’s the point. The $30,000 pickup will be simple, expected, even\u00a0comforting<\/em>. It’s meant to be a back-to-basics approach to EVs that makes them cheaper rather than big, luxurious, and jam-packed with features. Pickup trucks are supposed to just get the job done. They’ve sorta lost their way, with many larger pickup trucks forgetting the no-frills thing that made pickup truck culture a thing to begin with.<\/p>\n I think that’s the goal with Ford’s entire electric lineup. All priced under $40,000, they are believed to be everything from sedans to SUVs. The journalists at Ford’s Electric Vehicle Development Center saw at least five vehicles under some mysterious black covers, although most looked like SUVs. There was even some wooden frame in the shape of an SUV with three rows of seats. It sorta feels like Ford was immersing the journalists in some kind of video game where they have to gather clues in each room. As a gamer, I sorta wish I were there. But it’s fine. Psh. It’s not like I want more three-row electric SUVs<\/a>. I barely even wanna type that phrase again.<\/p>\n Again, don’t expect anything exciting. That’s not the point. I think Ford is trying to appeal to those Americans who are done<\/em> with the “excitement” of electric vehicle design elements, massive infotainment screens, AI assistants<\/a>… These are for the Americans that want simple, basic, traditional vehicles that happen to be electric. But still cheap. It’s a smart move, given the country’s excitement over Slate<\/a>.<\/p>\n I just think it’s funny that there is so much mystery and teasing and wondering and vehicle spottings… All over a very boring pickup.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Earlier this week, Ford invited journalists to its Electric Vehicle Development Center in Long Beach, California. And what gives!? I’m … <\/p>\nAmericans yearn for the cheap, simple pickup, and Ford is delivering that<\/h2>\n