Ford has officially chosen Long Beach as its new home to develop its next-generation EV platform. The new headquarters will be where Ford’s “Skunkworks” team will build its affordable next-gen electric vehicles.
CEO Jim Farley revealed Ford had been “secretly” working on a low-cost EV platform on a media call with investors in February.
According to Farley, Ford had a small “skunkworks” team working on the project. The team consists of “some of the best EV engineers in the world.”
Alan Clarke, who previously worked at Tesla for 12 years, leads the project. However, it’s not just Tesla that Ford has taken talent from. The team includes former Rivian, Lucid, and Apple employees.
Ford has also brought on eVTOL industry talent from leaders like Archer Aviation, Joby, and Hyundai’s Supernal.
“They are engineering a completely different approach, a different product at a different cost with a much smaller battery and different chemistry,” Farley explained.
The team is advancing Ford’s next-gen affordable electric vehicles. Ford has said the new platform will be flexible and will support several different types of vehicles.
Ford picks new home for its affordable electric vehicles
Rex Richardson, Mayor of Long Beach, and Ford announced the new home for the automaker’s new Advanced Electric Vehicle Development Center Wednesday.
Ford’s chief EV officer, Doug Field, said the new facility is “a key part of our broader strategy to build the best electric vehicle and technology development teams in the world.”
Field added that the Long Beach headquarters will “create a hub for the development of advanced electric vehicle technologies and products” alongside its Product Development Center in Dearborn and Greenfield labs location in Palo Alto.
According to Ford’s EV chief, the team is “developing vehicles that are as affordable as they are desirable.”
Ford was the second best-selling EV brand in the US through May. The Mustang Mach-E was the third best-selling EV, behind only Tesla’s Model Y and Model 3, while the F-150 Lightning pickup remained America’s top-selling pickup.