Small EVs are a big market abroad—a stark contrast to the gigantic offerings like the Ford F-150 Lightning and the plethora of electric SUVs that are prevalent in the U.S. But the small EV market here is growing, and Ford is getting in on the action. The automaker is pivoting to smaller—and cheaper—electric vehicles.
Ford CEO Jim Farley first revealed the pivot on an earnings call in early February. “We made a bet in silence two years ago,” he said, according to MotorTrend, revealing that a skunk works team acting as a startup began working on a low-cost EV back then, in order to better compete with electric vehicles from Chinese automakers.
Now, there are more details on just how affordable those new Ford EVs will be: Bloomberg Businessweek reported this week that the first model will arrive in late 2026, starting around $25,000. (The F-150 Lightning starts at $54,995, while Ford’s electric SUV, the Mustang Mach-E, starts around $43,000.)
Ford is working on its small EVs through a “specialized team” that is based in Irvine, California, Bloomberg reports. That team—made up of fewer than 100 people—is led by Alan Clarke, who was previously at Tesla for 12 years. There, he led the engineering of the Model Y, the company’s top seller; Clarke moved to Ford in 2022.
The compact EVs for Ford will be powered by a “lithium iron phosphate battery, which is about 30% cheaper than traditional lithium-ion batteries,” according to Bloomberg, noting that the company is continuing to explore even cheaper battery tech.
“All of our EV teams are ruthlessly focused on cost and efficiency in our EV products, because the ultimate competition is going to be the affordable Tesla and the Chinese OEMs [original equipment manufacturers],” Farley said on the February analyst call. Tesla is also working on a cheaper EV, which is also expected to go for $25,000. Tesla CEO Elon Musk first mentioned that goal in 2020; now, he’s said that the cheaper model will launch in 2025.
Compact car, or compact "crossover"?
Because lord knows we need more compact crossovers.
A lot of electric cars tends to be crossovers because the increased height make it easy to fit the battery on the bottom of the car while keeping enough height for a comfortable interior.
They're crossovers because it's the current fad. The model S and model 3 have figured it out, and a sedan is a more aerodynamic shape than a crossover so you need less battery to go as far.
If they are priced the same they sell better, its that simple.
Older people, fat peopleand tall people dont want to have to sit "down" into a car, they want to back up into the seat and have it be at arse height. People with kids and back problems dont want to have to bend themselves in half to get something out of the boot or off the back seat.
The only people who want low cars are young people who cant afford to move out of their parents house, let alone a brand new car or old sports car enthusiasts who want sports cars.
I'm a fat tall person and I significantly prefer cars lower to the ground.
And I'm also old!