Ford's Affordable 'Skunkworks' EV: Everything We Know

Ford Explorer Platform

Ford's low-cost EVs are meant to battle efforts from China and Tesla. Here's what we think we know so far.

Ford has low-key admitted that its EV program isn’t quite going the way it planned. It may be the second-best-selling electric brand behind Tesla and the F-150 Lightning and Mustang Mach-E may be strong products, but they’re not delivering profits the way Ford wants yet. Worse, Ford CEO Jim Farley is sounding the alarm about China's lead in the EV race, and what could happen if—or perhaps when—that country's affordable electric options come stateside.

Now, Ford needs a new model developed from the ground up, designed to go after its biggest competitors—all by going smaller and more affordable.

The automaker revealed in February that it has a small "skunkworks" team hard at work on a new platform that will underpin at least two low-cost EVs: likely a small 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 on technical specifics for its EV project. Still, through leaks and official statements from Ford we've been able to learn a little more about what forms Ford’s cheapest EVs will take.

What Do We Know About Ford's Affordable EV Program?

Unlike Ford’s previous efforts, we do know that Ford is intentionally not going all out on big batteries for this platform. Farley thinks that Ford’s EV future is based on volume and low costs, and one of the ways it plans to keep costs down and prices cheap is by restricting battery sizes. Bigger batteries mean bigger prices because that's the most expensive part of an EV.

And EV buyers are price sensitive, and the diminishing returns of range on large batteries as well as the elevated costs associated with them aren’t getting buyers behind the wheel like the brand thought.

The platform that will underpin Ford’s future EVs is small, only about 100 people, many of them made up of talent from various EV startups. Farley says the team is ruthlessly focused on cost and efficiency. It views Tesla and Chinese EVs as the “ultimate competition.”

We also know that unlike the Mach-E and Lightning, which are adapted from gas car platforms, it will be totally built from the ground up; it also won't be Volkswagen's MEB platform used to make the European Explorer and Capri, which is pictured above.

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What Will The Ford Affordable EV Look Like?

In all honestly, that’s something we won’t know for a while. Ford’s EV lineup could follow a Mach-E-like theme. Or, it could be styled to be more in line with Ford’s European EVs, like the new Capri or Explorer EV.It could take any number of forms, considering it’s a new platform that will underpin Ford’s future EV vehicles.

Again, we know the EV—really, an EV platform—will take several body styles, including a small crossover and a small pickup truck. It's possible the truck could follow the pattern set by Ford's popular Maverick compact truck.

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.

There is also talk of an EV focused on ridesharing customers; perhaps Ford’s cooking up its own model similar to the BYD D1 or Kia Niro Plus?

What About Performance, Charging And Range?

Ford has said little about the range goals of its low-cost EVs. But once again, it’s adamant that none of them will have super-sized batteries. Don’t expect the 200 kWh + battery or nearly 1,000 horsepower setup we’ve seen in GM’s Ultium platform trucks like the GMC Hummer EV.

Ford’s EVs will likely have a NACS port integrated natively and be able to access Tesla Superchargers on release.

When Will Ford's Affordable EVs Go On Sale?

Ford hasn’t offered an exact date of sale for its new EV projects, but leaks from sources familiar with the project say that the first model will likely go on sale by the second half of 2026. Farley said on Ford’s Q2 2024 earnings call that pricing will be under $30,000 for the cheapest products on the platform.

If so, these cars should be direct competitors to new, more affordable offerings like the 2026 Chevrolet Bolt EUV, the Jeep Renegade, the Kia EV3, possibly Tesla's smaller and cheaper new model—and of course, whatever comes our way out of China.

And that will end up being its real test.

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