- Ford’s affordable electric pickup prototype is testing in California.
- Aerodynamic design is hidden under camo to fake a boxy look.
- MY28 truck looks 1990s-grade small, but with a roomy second row.
Ford’s long-promised affordable electric pickup has finally been spotted in the wild, and one thing immediately stands out. This thing looks tiny.
The heavily camouflaged prototype was recently tracked down by The Autopian’s David Tracy on the West Coast, giving us our first look at the EV Ford hopes will shake up the entry-level truck market. And despite the camouflage doing its best to disguise the shape, it’s already clear this won’t be an electric Maverick. In fact, it might end up looking smaller.
Related: Ford Gives A Tiny Glimpse Of The $30K EV Truck Slate Should Be Worried About
The disguise gives the truck a traditional upright profile, but some key details poke through. Most obvious is the steeply raked windshield, which points to a far more aerodynamic design hiding beneath the camouflage. Previous design sketches hinted at a slippery front end and a more angled rear window, and the prototype seems to back that up.
The truck also appears remarkably compact in the real world. In footage captured by The Autopian, the Ford was driving alongside a full-size electric pickup and looked absolutely dwarfed by it. Even more telling, a Mazda B-Series truck trailing behind appeared almost the same size. Since that Mazda was essentially a rebadged version of the original Ford Ranger, that’s a pretty good indication this EV is going to be bijou by modern American standards.
Designed For Range, Not Trails
The prototype’s low ride height and roofline also give away its priorities. Combined with aero wheel covers and what are almost certainly low-rolling-resistance tires, it’s clear Ford is chasing maximum efficiency rather than hardcore off-road capability. Don’t expect this one to spend much time crawling over boulders straight from the showroom.
Other details visible through the camouflage include a relatively narrow cabin that places occupants closer together than most modern trucks, a large central touchscreen, a shallow glasshouse, and what appears to be a reasonably usable second row. The bed looks short, however, Tracy estimates a length of around 4 ft (1.2 m)
Ford CEO Jim Farley has already revealed that it rides on an all-new low-cost EV architecture designed around what, by Ford standards, is some radical tech. The platform reportedly uses 20 percent fewer parts, 25 percent fewer fasteners, and requires 40 percent fewer workstations than conventional vehicle platforms.
Could Be Called Ranchero
Ford is also embracing large aluminum castings similar to Tesla‘s gigacasting approach, while a dramatically simplified wiring harness is more than 4,000 ft (1.2 km) shorter and 22 lbs (10 kg) lighter than those used in the company’s first-generation EVs.
The first vehicle based on the architecture is expected to arrive in 2027 with a starting price of around $30,000. It will use lithium iron phosphate batteries and could even revive the Ranchero name Ford used on car-based trucks from the late 1950s to the late 1970s. Whatever Ford ends up calling it, one thing already seems certain. Nobody is going to accuse this truck of being a typical fat EV.
Thanks to The Autopian for letting us use a couple of its images. Check out the full story with more pics here.
