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There’s a fine line between looking at the auto industry critically and looking at the auto industry cynically. I’ll admit that I struggle with the distinction sometimes — especially lately — because it’s amazing to me how much money an automaker will simply light on fire for the sake of a short-term share price boost.
With Ford talking more about its Universal Electric Vehicle platform (UEV), and its upcoming pickup truck on said platform, you’d be forgiven if you looked at the cancellation of the F-150 Lightning EV, the three-row EV project, and the massive write-downs from those (and other) projects and wondered if UEV is as doomed as they were.
With the UEV, Ford appears to be making smart decisions. Switching from 12-volt to 48-volt for accessories reduces weight. Zonal architecture is more efficient. Extensive wind tunnel testing to eke out the most range. Massive focus on cost reduction. It’s all there.
Smart starts here.
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If Ford can reach that $30,000 price target without incentives, it’ll be an achievement worth talking about, for sure. But there is one area of concern that I hope Ford addresses.
The unicasting method Ford is using is a great way to reduce complexity and ultimately reduce cost. An example Ford gives is that a Maverick has 146 structural parts in the front and rear structures. This new unicasted truck? Just two. Not only does that reduce complexity, but it’s also way more efficient to stamp out big parts than to have people (or robots) assemble a bunch of smaller components.
Tesla has been doing stuff like this for a while, but there's one negative drawback. Since these massive castings are — well — massive, if one of them is damaged in a crash, it’s a lot more expensive to repair it. Tesla insurance is notoriously costly, in part due to this.
💡Do you have information about Ford’s UEV? I would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can message me on Signal at chadkirchner.1701, or with another secure communication method.
Ford has been working extensively with aluminum for a while, and the industry has become much smarter at repairing damaged components. But Ford dealerships and body shops will have to learn to work on these castings, just as they had to when Ford made the entire body of the 2015 F-150 out of aluminum.
If you remember back then, there were training programs in place to help make the transition. While there were some initial hiccups, you don’t really hear about aluminum being a problem anymore for F-150s damaged in crashes. I believe a similar program should be employed here for the new UEV.
What good is an inexpensive vehicle if it’s pricey to insure and pricey to repair? Ford will need to make sure it finds ways to keep those costs in check.
Also, is it going to be called Ranchero or what?