Maria 🐝 🐮 🎿//comms @Ford//former head of comms @ridespin//@Vrge alum. Tweets about transport, NBA, corgis & MI (I have a lot of opinions & they are my own)
Unicastings and zonal architecture.
We stepped into a room where we saw the three main “sections” of the new UEV platform - similar to the 3D-printed model shown below.
Kevin Young and Vladamir Bogachuk walked us through not only how Ford plans to manufacture these vehicles, but why the platform was engineered this way from the start.
The focus was clear:
• fewer parts
• lower manufacturing costs
• easier repairs
• faster assembly
One detail that really stood out was repairability.
Ford has designed specific cut points into the castings where a service technician could make a cut and rivet in a replacement section — without needing traditional welding.
There was also a huge emphasis on manufacturing accessibility and simplification.
They even showed us something as simple as the accelerator pedal and how dramatically easier it now is to install compared to traditional designs.
It became obvious pretty quickly that this team is rethinking every single step of how vehicles are built.
@Ford@alanpaulclarke@jimfarley98@chargedupemily@ebergg
A few years ago, we gave a handful of people a challenging mission: reinvent how @Ford builds vehicles. This "skunkworks" team was given a space in California to work and the freedom to start from a clean sheet of paper and rethink the entire process of how vehicles have traditionally been designed. Seeing that team come together and work with engineers, designers, and supply chain and manufacturing people all side-by-side has been truly inspiring. While some in the industry are pulling back on electric vehicles, we are building a family of affordable, high-tech EVs and I can't wait for people to get to see what they've created with the Universal Electric Vehicle Platform.
That skunkworks spirit has now evolved from a small office in Irvine to the new Electric Vehicle Development Center (EVDC) in Long Beach. But what's exciting isn't the building, it's the way people are working and bringing those ideas into other parts of Ford. It's the perfect blend of startup agility and Ford’s legendary industrial muscle.
Here's an inside look at the new EVDC and the exciting work happening... https://t.co/HMxvub6s8v
“We can look at it as, ‘The Chinese are really far ahead, it’s really scary that they’re coming. But, get off your ass and do something about it. Go figure out a way to compete.” https://t.co/WeGWwjT61t
During Mental Health Awareness Month, Detroit Pistons forward, Duncan Robinson, shares his brother Eli’s mental health journey in hopes of helping other families.
Full video: https://t.co/v6gCHiJ4FA
As EV load grows, utilities use managed charging to harness flexibility, lower costs
Active managed charging can delay costly system upgrades while saving customers money, but a lack of standardized data-sharing is slowing adoption. https://t.co/GWxVAoYLz0
What's 400kW and now supports Plug & Charge for Ford drivers? If you guessed bp pulse's Alpitronic chargers, you guessed right!
bp pulse's 400 kW chargers join Electrify America, Tesla, IONNA, and Ford Charge in delivering Plug & Charge to Ford drivers - just plug in!
Ford isn’t backing away from EVs, we’re democratizing them. Winning this race requires chasing physics, not building bigger batteries. That’s why we developed our Universal Electric Vehicle Platform. In a few days, we’ll share a peek at some of the efficiency innovations that make UEV one of the most important projects in @Ford history.
An early peek at our brilliant team working on the Universal Electric Vehicle project - one of the most audacious and important projects in @Ford's history. American innovation is how we compete and win against China and the rest of the world.
➡️ The team is spending countless hours getting every last drop of aero efficiency on the mid-size electric pickup.
➡️ The best part is no part, but the second-best part is one that serves multiple functions.
➡️ A Ford team member working on the front end of a prototype - one of the hundreds of prototypes the team has designed and developed to shape the face of the truck over the last few years.
➡️ Ford will use large unicastings for the first time on the Universal EV Platform. The radically simplified aluminum unicastings condense over 146 parts into 2 and enable the assembly tree method at the Louisville Assembly Plant.
Can't wait to share more!
What’s Red Bull Racing in F1 going to look like in 2026 since they are developing their own engine for the first time in partnership with Ford? I ask Jim Farley.
What happens when two archivists from 100+ year old companies get together? They talk shop, or in this case dependable, durable clothing made for the people who have worked the Ford Assembly lines or do hard work with our great vehicles. Dave Moore, the Archivist for Carhartt is good friend of mine and stopped by with a 1936 Ford branded Carhartt coverall. We traded the shared history of our great companies. I promise I let Dave out of the Ford Heritage Vault! #FordPro #WeAreFord #FSeries #Carhartt #FordHeritageVault
6:30 am: Me telling my Lyft driver about how cool regen braking is because you can recoup energy lost right back into the battery.
I have an obsession and it’s called regenerative braking.
I wasn’t brave enough to bike the Copenhagen streets but we walked everywhere. A city that truly prioritizes peoples’ needs 😍 not even construction will disrupt a bike lane (peep the last photo).
Making charging easier for Ford drivers for the holidays - Plug & Charge is now live at @ionnaofficial and rolling out at Ford Charge!
BlueOval Charge Network now covers nearly 90% of public DC fast chargers in America - plug in and enjoy the charge ⚡️
https://t.co/4nnQNZRhSm
Saturday, Dec. 21 was the day for the most #BlueCruise miles logged in 2024. This year, if you are planning to head out for vacation or enjoy the holiday season on Saturday, Dec. 20, drop a comment below or shoot me a DM!
https://t.co/ssZkGhMYM7