Ford’s next-gen T3 e-pickup to be a self-driving “Millennium Falcon”

This week, EV sales are expected to lose $3 billion this year, but Ford isn’t going to shy away from an electric vehicle future. The company announced Friday that it is working to “revolutionize trucks in America” ​​with its next-generation electric pickup, codenamed Project T3. With all the technology at Ford’s disposal, the T3 promises to be a loyal, hard-working partner in the digital age, with autonomous driving capabilities so advanced that drivers can get on with other tasks or take a nap. The truck was developed at the same time as Ford’s BlueOval City manufacturing plant and will be built there.

Ford’s F-Series has been America’s best-selling vehicle for 46 years. So it’s no surprise that the company is looking to become the leader in electric trucks, and it’s already off to a solid start with the F-150 Lightning. This is a full size electric pickup that most closely resembles the very popular ICE pickups that Americans rely on. For productivity, recreation and everyday driving across generations.

Ford is getting even more ambitious with its second-generation electric pickup.

“Project T3 is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to revolutionize American trucks,” Ford President and CEO Jim Farley said Friday. “We are combining 100 years of Ford truck know-how with world-class electric vehicle, software and aerodynamic talent. It will be a platform of limitless innovation and capability.”

The name “T3” initially seemed like a reference to the historic Model T. This suggests that Ford sees its next-generation e-pickup as important as the Model T, the first mass-produced affordable car in history. The Model TT was Ford’s first truck and the forerunner of the F-150. Given the superlative codename Ford uses to describe his T3 platform, this seems like a fitting codename.

Ford describes the code name differently, but says it stands for the three words “Trust The Truck.” The team that develops the truck has a single mission: to create an unquestionably reliable vehicle for the digital age. In other words, digitizing and electrifying a reliable pickup truck that keeps going no matter what you throw at it (or ride it). Ford promises that the T3 will provide the towing, hauling and exportable power buyers want and will be fully renewable, continuously improved and packed with innovation.

“PJ O’Rourke once described an American pickup as a ‘back porch with an engine attached. Now, this new truck will look like the Millennium Falcon, with his back pouch attached,” Farley says.

While it’s unlikely the T3 will carry payloads to another galaxy or tow a trailer, Farley told Yahoo Finance’s Brian Sozzi that it will be equipped with technology never before seen in an electric truck. I said yes. I can sleep while commuting.

“We think we can land a semi-autonomous system,” Farley told Sotzi. “So you can sleep in the truck while you are traveling on the highway. I use my car as my vehicle and it’s great to be able to bid more jobs in the truck while I commute to work.”

Ford plans to introduce the T3 truck in 2025. It will be manufactured at his 3,600-acre BlueOval City EV and battery mega-campus in West Tennessee, which will go live that same year. Ford and South Korean battery maker SK On are investing US$5.6 billion in the development of the Blue Oval City. It’s a key part of Ford’s plan to rapidly expand his EV production globally to 2 million vehicles per year by 2026. Ford said he sold 61,575 EVs in the US in 2022. It is second only to Tesla.

Ford says the BlueOval City will have a 30% smaller overall assembly footprint than a traditional factory, and still have higher production capacity. At full production, the factory can deploy 500,000 electric trucks per year.

Ford is also committed to making BlueOval City its first carbon-neutral auto manufacturing and battery campus. It runs on carbon-free electricity, and assembly plant heating comes from energy recovered from on-site utility infrastructure and geothermal systems. The plan calls for a location that will save millions of gallons of water each year by reducing evaporation from cooling towers and eliminating the use of fresh water in the assembly process.

We don’t usually get particularly excited about vague product promises years down the road, but the T3 sounds like something to look forward to. Sounds like it could be a very interesting offering that could grab attention from even the most die-hard ICE enthusiasts in the pickup-hungry ranks.

The video below is mostly T3 hype and very little detail, but there are some interesting ones, such as a render of the driver display screen showing 335 miles (539 km) of remaining range on nearly a quarter of the battery. There are moments. Drained. This suggests that the distance target is beyond his 400 miles (644 km). We’re not sure if the hands-free driving pictured briefly is a full-fledged “sleep like a newborn” mode, but we’ll see how the truck’s tech suite progresses.

Source: Ford