Ford Skunkworks developing an EV Pickup....?

[Zoidz]

Inside EVs

The image below is Inside EVs speculation as to what it might look like. It's not an image released by Ford.

"During its second quarter earnings call, Farley said that Ford will reveal more details about its future EVs on August 11. The new platform will be a "Model T moment" for the brand, Fatley said, hinting at EVs hitting the reset button at the company as competition grows.

The automaker revealed last year that it has a small "skunkworks" team that is hard at work on a new platform that will underpin at least two low-cost EVs: likely a midsize truck and a compact crossover. The team was formed sometime in 2021 and includes a bevy of hired talent from EV brands like Tesla, Rivian and Lucid.

Ford has been pretty tight-lipped about the technical specifics of its EV project, but it's possible that it might begin with a new electric truck, potentially the size of a Ranger. Separately, the company has also said that it was developing a next-generation electric truck codenamed "Project T3."

Recently, Farley explained that Ford’s low-cost EVs will focus on “work and adventure” and that the platform will be “leveraged among many top hats,” so we can expect a whole slew of products for multiple types of customers.

Farley said on Ford’s Q2 2024 earnings call that pricing will be under $30,000 for the cheapest products on the platform, but this isn't necessarily the price point for the midsize EV truck. With Trump's tariffs, that price target will be hard to achieve."

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[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

For their sake, I hope they are not following another company’s over promise then under deliver playbook.

 

[Rade]

This is just marketing. We watch the YouTube channel "Autoline Daily". EVERY automobile manufacturer has some kind of truck "under development" but either won't be ready for market until sometime in 2028 or not being considered for the US market.

 

[COdogman]

Toyota has had an EV truck “in development” for at least 10 years now

The range of photos and speculation about this new “T3” truck from Ford are all over the place. This is the Motortrend version:

 

[Golfer04]

Electric trucks are a tough nut for US market. Real or not.....everyone with a truck thinks they need 250 miles of tow range on AT tires (in the winter). I love my R1T, but I understand I tow once a year. Have to have a huge battery to meet supposed needs.

 

[Great Gatsby]

I find Ford hilarious to watch. The Mach-E experienced a solid success and the Lightning is the best selling electric pickup truck. They were also one of the first brands to get access to the Tesla charging network along with Rivian. While great cars for 2020, they seem dated for 2026 and instead of focusing on developing a refresh or a better OTA experience, Farley cancelled most of the future EV projects over hybrids and the Mach-E looks like a relic compared to its competitors and the Lightning takes over a millennia to charge.

And now they are trying to convince us that they are finally doing an EVs correctly. Sure. Don't focus on what has worked so far and keep your foundation. I'm sure they finally got it right this time. Can't wait to see it and then watch Farley hilariously pivot again and tell us something like "No, hydrogen cars are the future." Talk about a CEO with no vision.

 

[Rade]

I think that Bezoz and Slate have the right idea - Affordable EV's that won't need a tax credit to sell. I wish all the auto manufacturers would follow suit and put an EV out there under $30k. It's always; "Not this year; delayed to 202(6-7-8-9)".

I have a 2Gen Rivian R1T. Love the truck. Solid. I am hoping to get 10 years out of it, maybe more. But it cost me $87k after all was said and done. In reality - way-f-ing out of my price point, but the tax incentives sweetened the deal.

Now my husband and I are actively looking to replace his 11yo Nissan Rogue with an EV. He's jonesing for and R1S, but we keep running the numbers and there is just no way we can get a lease payment down under $630mo. Financing is just out of the question - $1,100+ per month? Are you kidding me? I hope to Hell that the R2S stays on track for early / mid next year. We got a budget for that.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

I find Ford hilarious to watch. The Mach-E experienced a solid success and the Lightning is the best selling electric pickup truck. They were also one of the first brands to get access to the Tesla charging network along with Rivian. While great cars for 2020, they seem dated for 2026 and instead of focusing on developing a refresh or a better OTA experience, Farley cancelled most of the future EV projects over hybrids and the Mach-E looks like a relic compared to its competitors and the Lightning takes over a millennia to charge.

And now they are trying to convince us that they are finally doing an EVs correctly. Sure. Don't focus on what has worked so far and keep your foundation. I'm sure they finally got it right this time. Can't wait to see it and then watch Farley hilariously pivot again and tell us something like "No, hydrogen cars are the future." Talk about a CEO with no vision.

They have also pulled back on many EV development projects, at the same time doing flashy things with one-off specials (Supertruck, Supervan and Super Mach-E) while telling journalists how epic their new EVs will be. It all feels a bit… sleight of hand.

 

[Dark-Fx]

I know a few people working on this program, they never want to tell me anything about it.

 

[R1ship]

For their sake, I hope they are not following another company’s over promise then under deliver playbook.

As a former Mustang Mach-E owner - This is the Ford way. They use buzz words to create hype and under deliver by miles! Everything over there is so screwed up!

 

[mkhuffman]

As a former Mustang Mach-E owner - This is the Ford way. They use buzz words to create hype and under deliver by miles! Everything over there is so screwed up!

Same here. But I have to say I have already rebooted my R1T more times in four months than the 3.5 years I owned my MME.

Range and charging speed are not good at all, which is partially why I traded in the T. But still, it is a great car otherwise.

 

[Great Gatsby]

Same here. But I have to say I have already rebooted my R1T more times in four months than the 3.5 years I owned my MME.

Range and charging speed are not good at all, which is partially why I traded in the T. But still, it is a great car otherwise.

Agreed. My wife has one and my main complaints are exactly that. If we got a gen 2 or refresh with true 300+ miles range and charging 10-80% in 20 minutes, then Ford would still keep their hot streak going. It has been reliable and easy to get along with, just baffling how Ford hasn't done any major updates in all these years. The Mach-E has sold well, but they keep treating it like a failure. Truly, a bizarre company. I had a Ford Explorer ST and was excited when they announced that they working on a three row EV. When they canned that project, I very much gave up on the company and traded my Explorer shortly after. They are very much mirroring Tesla at this point with hyping things up and then never having them come to fruition.

 

[Dark-Fx]

I had a Ford Explorer ST and was excited when they announced that they working on a three row EV. When they canned that project, I very much gave up on the company and traded my Explorer shortly after.

I had also completely forgotten that they had planned on having Rivian build their SUV at one point, before their own project had gotten canned. Ford thinks they can do it better, but Rivian will probably be on gen3 of R1 before they have a competing product at scale.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Same here. But I have to say I have already rebooted my R1T more times in four months than the 3.5 years I owned my MME.

Range and charging speed are not good at all, which is partially why I traded in the T. But still, it is a great car otherwise.

At least reboot is all it took? Curious how often Ford has provided OTAs? Maybe perception of stability is tied to lack changes in software? IMO pace of software development (and frequency of updates) is what sets the "start ups" apart from legacy auto. Continuous development vs annual/bi-annual (if at all).

 

[Great Gatsby]

I had also completely forgotten that they had planned on having Rivian build their SUV at one point, before their own project had gotten canned. Ford thinks they can do it better, but Rivian will probably be on gen3 of R1 before they have a competing product at scale.

Sounds like they just have knee jerk reactions to market trends.

"People want big SUVs! People want electric! Oh, electric cars aren't selling anymore...so hybrid? People really do want hybrid, and that is the future. Electric SUVs are big and dumb anyway! And I heard they want affordable EVs now too? We should do that! We'll make one...that's a truck. Because people want trucks that are also electric because math. Wait, do people still want trucks? What are we doing again?"

An electric Ford Explorer at a reasonable price point would have been an interesting prospect, specially seeing how the lightning turned out. Seeing Kia roll out the EV9 before Ford could even get a concept together for a 3 row SUV when they already experienced moderate success with the Mach-E is just absurd. No roadmap. No innovation. Just chasing the next shiny thing and then wondering why they can't keep up with the market.

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