Reimagined Ford Model T as a Tesla Electric Minitruck: A Vehicle Tesla Ought to Have Produced
Ford Motor Company has announced its latest electric vehicle (EV) platform, set to debut in 2027 with a midsize, four-door electric pickup truck. The platform, inspired by Tesla's manufacturing innovations, is a cost-effective solution aimed at providing a starting price around $30,000 and lower ownership costs over five years than a three-year-old used Tesla Model Y.
The new platform, known as the "Model T moment" platform, emphasises cost reduction, simplified assembly, and efficiency. Key features include a prismatic, cobalt- and nickel-free lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack that doubles as a structural vehicle floor, providing a low center of gravity, improved handling, and spacious interiors exceeding that of the latest Toyota RAV4. The platform reduces parts by 20%, uses fewer fasteners, and speeds assembly by 15%, contributing to the lower price and competitive performance such as 0-60 mph times comparable to a Mustang EcoBoost.
In comparison, BYD's Shark mini-truck, unveiled in early 2025, is a smaller electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle available in China priced between $7,000 and $9,200. Even with high import tariffs, such as 100%, the BYD mini-truck remains competitively priced for entry-level buyers under $20,000 in the U.S. market. BYD’s Shark is a more compact, utilitarian vehicle focusing on affordability and urban utility, whereas Ford's new platform targets the midsize truck segment with larger passenger space and more powerful performance.
The Ford minitruck features a "skateboard" design that produces a flat floor, but criticism is directed towards the inclusion of a "frunk" and the waste of space under the hood. The platform also includes unicastings using IDRA's high tonnage press technology, a zonal wiring strategy, multiple body types on a common platform, Ford's BlueCruise ADAS, mobile power-plant capability (V2H, V2G), and the claim of "The best part is no part".
The Skunkworks team, responsible for the new platform, is made up of members from Tesla, Rivian, Canoo, and is led by Ford's CEO, Jim Farley, who is known to have signed off on major decisions. However, the project has been criticised for not being innovative enough and for not bringing the cost down to a competitive level, with suggestions that it should be priced at around $15,000.
In March 2025, BYD unveiled their Shark mini-truck, available in either plug-in hybrid EV (PHEV) or BEV variants, for $7,000 to $9,200 in China. The new Ford platform is designed to compete with Chinese EV company Bring Your Own Dreams (BYD).
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[1] Ford's new electric pickup truck will cost less than a used Tesla Model Y
[2] Ford's new electric pickup truck has a Tesla-inspired structural battery pack
[4] Ford's new electric pickup truck promises lower costs than a Tesla Model Y
[5] Ford's new electric pickup truck: What we know so far
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