Ford Developing Bespoke EV Truck Platform

The Ford F-150 Lightning is a glimpse into Ford's long-term plans for electrification. Its technology and impressive driving range promise to make a splash in the broader EV pickup segment. But it appears that this is only the beginning, with Ford revealing that its working on a bespoke EV truck platform.

The race for electrification in the pickup truck segment is rapidly heating up, including exploring the multiple sub-segments in this growing slice of the U.S. auto market. That includes Ford with a new batch of rumors suggesting that the hotly anticipated F-150 Lightning is about to be joined by a second "bespoke" truck offering.

New Platform Will Be Pure EV

Ford CEO Jim Farley revealed the news during an interview with the folks at CarBuzz

We've announced this new plant; It's going to be a huge site, and it's going to build a vehicle we do not have today off a brand-new platform - a full-size truck platform.

While Farley's statement didn't reveal much beyond that, the idea of a second full-size EV pickup could help Ford in several ways. For starters, the second platform would be built from the ground up to incorporate an EV setup fully. The F-150 Lightning's platform is an offshoot of the gas-powered F-150's bones, and while Ford engineers did a commendable job making it work in an EV application, it's not a pure EV-focused platform.

This new platform will also benefit from some of the lessons that the company has learned in marketing the Mach-E and the Lightning to consumers, which could translate into lighter components to reduce weight and provide more ride comfort. The only major catch here is that we'll have to wait a few years before we see any production models adopt this new platform. With the current generation Lightning still a relative newcomer in the segment, it could be as soon as 2025 before we see any fruits from this venture.

Ford Wants High Sales Numbers

While the world gets to wait a bit for this mysterious platform to produce fruit, Ford is focused on current events with the U.S. auto giant working on further enhancing EV sales. Farley revealed that he's hoping to see at least 80 percent of the Lightning's logged reservations transform into formal sales. Farley's confident that the Lightning's announced sticker price will serve as a lure for consumers, especially with the cost of ICE-equipped full-sized pickups rising.

"The issue is that since we launched Lightning, full-sized trucks have gotten a lot more expensive. So that price that we launched at is looking more and more attractive, so when people look at moving from a reservation to an order, I think it's going to be extremely high - north of Broncos."

In addition to the truck side of the business, Ford is also focusing on promoting other members of the EV family with the production of the electrified E-Transit recently kicking into gear as well as ongoing production of the Mach-E EV SUV.

Photo Credit: Ford Motor Company

Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. In addition to his specialization with Ford, he grew up in a General Motors household and is extensively familiar with their products too. Contact Carl on Twitter at @CarlMalek3, on Instagram and Facebook for automotive news to send news tips.