Ford's Next EV Truck Will Cost $30,000, Be More Spacious Than Ranger and Maverick

• What's new: Ford's head of EVs reveals details of new $30K midsize electric truck.
• Why it matters: The truck is Ford's make-or-break attempt to produce an affordable EV that appeals to all buyers, whether they're truck enthusiasts or otherwise.
• Edmunds says: It'll be a tough sell to consumers, but Ford thinks it can reinvent the electric pickup.

New $30K midsize truck will match Ford Maverick, Ranger

The first of these will be a midsize truck, similar in size to the Ford Ranger. At least until the new Slate truck is launched, there will be no competing EV trucks at the $30K price point, but to succeed, it must attract buyers who might otherwise have chosen a gas or hybrid alternative. 

These include not just rivals such as the Toyota Tacoma or Chevrolet Colorado, but Ford's own Maverick and Ranger. In hybrid form, the Maverick is a current Edmunds Top Rated award winner and a popular member of our one-year ownership fleet. Clarke says the new model must seduce customers as a truck that just happens to be an EV. 

More cabin space than a Toyota RAV4, and a secure frunk

Clarke says it will have more cabin space than a Toyota RAV4, which is a different way of saying that it will be more spacious than a Maverick or Ranger. "We found a way to get more cabin volume than the RAV4 and that is the number-one-selling SUV in the world. So clearly, a lot of people think that that's a good cabin size."

It will also capitalize on the absence of an engine to provide a front trunk or frunk, something that appealed to customers of the outgoing Ford F-150 Lightning. "One of the gripes we hear from pickup truck owners constantly is that they want secure, lockable storage. With an EV, you have the superpower of having a frunk. You can put your backpack in there, close it and feel secure."

Comparisons will inevitably be made with the F-150 Lightning, which received critical acclaim — it's a former Edmunds Top Rated Award Best of the Best winner — but failed to resonate with truck buyers. But Ford's next swing at an electric truck is already very different. In addition to being smaller, it's been designed from the ground up to be an EV and will be half the price. 

Towing, electric range remain a challenge

Clarke was also refreshingly honest about two key challenges facing EV truck buyers that compromised Lightning sales: electric range and towing capability.

"Towing is a tough use case for battery electric vehicles," he said. "But smaller trucks are used a lot for towing small boats, towing jet skis, those type of things. So I think it's a much better use case." Put simply, if you tow regularly, your best choice is still a gas, hybrid or diesel full-size truck. 

Most manufacturers, including Tesla, claim that EV customers are unwilling to accept a range of less than 300 miles on a single charge. Asked whether he agreed with this analysis, the answer was a flat "No."

He believes the paradigm is overstated. "The number one barrier to entry is this combination of the amount of range you get and the amount of money you have to pay in order to get it. I think if it's your first EV, you probably buy the most amount of range. And likely, if it's the second or third EV that you buy, you're going much lower depending on your use case. If you're a family and you have multiple vehicles, you may end up with a short-range EV, and then you have an ICE [gas-powered] product that you use for road trips." 

No doubt a number of different battery options will be available in the new truck, but increasing the range will also inevitably mean a significant jump in price. 

All of this may make the new EV a tough sell for Ford dealers who've historically shown a lack of enthusiasm for electric vehicles. The answer, according to Clarke, is to appeal to the heart: "It has to tug at your heartstrings. You know, when you see it, you have to want it." The new truck "must be super compelling" as a product "that just happens to be an EV."

For the full interview, listen to the CarCast podcast above and subscribe Spotify, Apple Podcasts and all the usual podcast channels.