Mexican Media Brands
Rivian-Based Ford EV an SUV?
Ford Motor Co. has finalized most of the engineering details for the all-electric vehicle it is developing with Rivian Automotive LLC, Ford CEO Jim Hackett tells Motor Trend.
#hybrid
Share
Ford Motor Co. has finalized most of the engineering details for the all-electric vehicle it is developing with Rivian Automotive LLC, Ford CEO Jim Hackett tells Motor Trend.
The Ford EV will ride on the “skateboard” chassis that Rivian developed for its own electric models—the R1T pickup and R12 SUV—that are expected a few years from now.
But Hackett cautions against assuming the Ford vehicle is an SUV, as some earlier reports concluded.
Hackett likens Rivian’s architecture, which includes the drivetrain and electronic control units, to the operating system for a computer or smartphone. Ford will develop its own vehicle body to sit on the platform.
In addition to the skateboard chassis, Rivian likely will assemble Ford’s entire EV at the former Mitsubishi Motors Corp. factory in Normal, Ill., which Rivian acquired two years ago. Noting that the Illinois plant meets Ford’s requirements, Hackett says it would be “counterproductive” not to use it.
In April, Ford announced plans to invest $500 million in Rivian and partner with the Plymouth, Mich.-based company on an electric truck.
Separately, Ford is partnering with Volkswagen AG to use the German carmaker’s MEB platform for small and midsize electric cars for the European market. Ford also continues to develop its own EVs, including an electric variant of the F-150 fullsize pickup and a Mustang-inspired crossover.
RELATED CONTENT
-
2019 Honda Insight
One of the things that rarely gets the amount of attention that it should in a typical “car review” is the fact that for a considerable amount of time drivers are not “getting on the throttle” because for a considerable number of drivers, they’re “dwelling on the binders,” a.k.a., sitting with their foot depressed on the brakes, perhaps lifting every now and then in order to nudge forward in traffic.
-
Engineering the 2019 Jeep Cherokee
The Jeep Cherokee, which was launched in its current manifestation as a model year 2014 vehicle, and which has just undergone a major refresh for MY 2019, is nothing if not a solid success.
-
Hyundai Shops for a Partner to Make Electric Scooters
Hyundai Motor Co. is looking for a domestic partner to mass-produce the fold-up Ioniq electric scooter it unveiled at last year’s CES show in Las Vegas, a source tells The Korea Herald.