EVwire brief: Ford Motor Company is doubling down on affordability and efficiency in EV development and have provided an update on the Universal EV Platform (UEV), following it’s introduction last year. The UEV Platform is led by an internal skunkworks team. Focused on lightweight design, advanced aerodynamics, smaller batteries, and an updated electrical architecture, the team aims to produce a $30,000 USD midsize electric pickup by 2027.
The Silicon Valley–based skunkworks team, led by industry veteran Alan Clarke, formerly of Tesla, is spearheading the project. The roughly 500-engineer group is constructing the UEV with two primary goals: cutting costs and maximizing driving efficiency. The platform is intended to introduce a future family of affordable EVs, starting with a midsize electric pickup priced near $30,000 for 2027 production.
Ford’s engineers are (finally) taking a page out of Tesla’s playbook (perhaps something to do with Alan Clarke?) and are developing “innovative” techniques to reduce weight and drag. The team collaborated with aerodynamic specialists, optimizing underbody airflow, shrinking side mirrors, and rethinking structural components to try and squeeze every possible mile of range without enlarging battery packs.
For the complete update, you can check out Ford’s video here:
To make smarter engineering decisions, Ford introduced an internal “bounties” system that assigns measurable monetary value to improvements in key areas like mass and drag. For example, reducing roof height by just one millimeter translates into measurable battery cost savings under this model which helps guide design trade-offs that benefit both range and affordability.
I personally love this approach - engineers (like myself) love a challenge and gamifying engineering and design improvements will motivate the team. Also, seeing a numerical value associated with these changes help illustrate the direct impact of the changes.
Reducing the dependence on large battery packs which is typically one of the most expensive single components in EVs (~40% of the cost of the vehicle), is central to this approach. Ford plans to use lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries as they are a lower-cost chemistry that avoids expensive nickel and cobalt. Ford is also using a structural battery pack architecture that turns the battery into an integral part of the vehicle frame, trimming weight and complexity.
Ford is also making changes to their approach to the electrical architecture by:
Reducing the number of electronic control units (ECU)
Streamlining a 48V system to reduce wiring and manufacturing costs
Consolidating electronics to compact modules
Using a 400V architecture (is this a miss? 800V is the way to go, no?) Ford believes this gives them “flexibility”.
While Ford may call the above “innovations”, they are not the first ones to use a 48V architecture system, make control reductions and put a focus on aerodynamics. The truth is that legacy automakers were good with the status quo, charging customers whatever they wanted with little to no improvements. Automatic windows can’t be the biggest marvel for autotech! Now legacy automakers need something marvel to stay relevant.
SOURCE: Ford
