Looks Like TTT is Dead?

[Jimrpa]

This article seems to say that TTT (Trust The Truck), Ford’s next major EV platform, is dead?

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[RickMachE]

Never mentions it once...

 

[hybrid2bev]

This is what it says. Merging platforms.

“According to a Reuters report on Wednesday, Ford is no longer developing its next-generation electric architecture, FNV4.

Bergg clarified to Electrek that FNV4 was not an EV-exclusive project and it’s not ending. The company is merging two of its electrical architectures into one that will be used across more vehicles, regardless of powertrain.

The move will enable Ford to offer advanced connected experiences in EVs like the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning, as well as other vehicles like the Bronco, Mustang, Super Duty, Ranger, and Transit.”

 

[Mach1E]

This is what it says. Merging platforms.

“According to a Reuters report on Wednesday, Ford is no longer developing its next-generation electric architecture, FNV4.

Bergg clarified to Electrek that FNV4 was not an EV-exclusive project and it’s not ending. The company is merging two of its electrical architectures into one that will be used across more vehicles, regardless of powertrain.

The move will enable Ford to offer advanced connected experiences in EVs like the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning, as well as other vehicles like the Bronco, Mustang, Super Duty, Ranger, and Transit.”

Projects that don’t have projected profits will continue to die.

Manufacturers can only throw losing money at new models for so long.

I think we will continue to see more delayed and cancelled EV projects in the near future. Until they see an opportunity to be profitable, it’ll be a “hard sell” internally to commit dollars to it.

 

[Jimrpa]

Never mentions it once...

Correct. But TTT has always been touted as the “next generation of electric truck” in the stuff I’ve seen from Ford. I’m not sure of the relationship between TTT and FNV4? Given previous statements, I assumed the two were related?

 

[Jimrpa]

This is what it says. Merging platforms.

“According to a Reuters report on Wednesday, Ford is no longer developing its next-generation electric architecture, FNV4.

Bergg clarified to Electrek that FNV4 was not an EV-exclusive project and it’s not ending. The company is merging two of its electrical architectures into one that will be used across more vehicles, regardless of powertrain.

The move will enable Ford to offer advanced connected experiences in EVs like the Mustang Mach-E and F-150 Lightning, as well as other vehicles like the Bronco, Mustang, Super Duty, Ranger, and Transit.”

The 3rd paragraph seems to imply that FNV4 isn’t a vehicle (chassis/drivetrain) platform as much as it is some type of connectivity/electronics architecture?

 

[silverelan]

As i understand it, FNV4 is a platform-agnostic zonal architecture for processors. All of Ford’s vehicles including MME and Lightning use a lot of processors (remember the chip shortage?) but FNV4 reduces that complexity by paring the total number down.

Doug Fields’ skunkworks team is replicating the processor reduction that Tesla and Rivian have already implemented. Ford is just planning on leveraging the reduction work from the next gen platform into its full lineup rather than duplicate the work in parallel programs.

I could be wrong though.

 

[RWG]

In my opinion, the future EV product development at Ford is probably a bit tenuous at the moment. Ford, like all manufactures will have to deal with the continuous market, political & technology pressures, in various countries, as a result of Climate Change issues. While the US EV market may be "cooling" at the moment, it may not be in other countries. Ford, like many companies, jumped into the EV market with "both feet"quickly to compete with Tesla and others. Now, today, Tesla is in trouble and our new administration is not an EV supporter, couple that with the current tariff mess and advancing battery technologies, Ford, and others have had to make some serious investment course corrections.

The auto manufactures have a tough timing landscape to manage. It takes up to 5 years to develop a new vehicle, but political administrations are typically 4 year durations and subject to 2 year congressional turnover realities. As such long term planning is difficult. Couple the chaotic politics with advancing technology and things can get a bit challenging. National and conflicting state regulations make Product Management/Development very difficult.

I think the Mach E was rushed to market, in response to Tesla and National Politics at the time. Many of the fundamental design errors were a bit "basic" leaving one to wonder how on earth those design decisions were made? Overall the product now seems to be sound but now Ford is facing, new battery technologies, loss of EV incentives, a general USA market apathy for EV products, tariff problems with an unprofitable product and they still need to compete in other country markets.

I am glad I am retired and don't have to deal with their future problems.

 

[silverelan]

In my opinion, the future EV product development at Ford is probably a bit tenuous at the moment. Ford, like all manufactures will have to deal with the continuous market, political & technology pressures, in various countries, as a result of Climate Change issues. While the US EV market may be "cooling" at the moment, it may not be in other countries. Ford, like many companies, jumped into the EV market with "both feet"quickly to compete with Tesla and others. Now, today, Tesla is in trouble and our new administration is not an EV supporter, couple that with the current tariff mess and advancing battery technologies, Ford, and others have had to make some serious investment course corrections.

The auto manufactures have a tough timing landscape to manage. It takes up to 5 years to develop a new vehicle, but political administrations are typically 4 year durations and subject to 2 year congressional turnover realities. As such long term planning is difficult. Couple the chaotic politics with advancing technology and things can get a bit challenging. National and conflicting state regulations make Product Management/Development very difficult.

I think the Mach E was rushed to market, in response to Tesla and National Politics at the time. Many of the fundamental design errors were a bit "basic" leaving one to wonder how on earth those design decisions were made? Overall the product now seems to be sound but now Ford is facing, new battery technologies, loss of EV incentives, a general USA market apathy for EV products, tariff problems with an unprofitable product and they still need to compete in other country markets.

I am glad I am retired and don't have to deal with their future problems.

Regardless of politics in the USA, Ford needs its own EV product line to compete in Europe and elsewhere. Thus, Ford will continue to pour resources into the next-gen EV platform.

 

[Mach1E]

Regardless of politics in the USA, Ford needs its own EV product line to compete in Europe and elsewhere. Thus, Ford will continue to pour resources into the next-gen EV platform.

And companies need to make profitable products without the government for them to be sustainable.

Make a good product that people want at an affordable and competitive price and it won’t matter who is in government and what their politics are.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

And companies need to make profitable products without the government for them to be sustainable.

Make a good product that people want at an affordable and competitive price and it won’t matter who is in government and what their politics are.

What sells well in the USA doesn’t do well in Europe., hence Ford’s different offerings there. EV are crowding out everything else there. It will have to continue developing new and better EVs and EV technologies if Ford want to sell there.

 

[Sikkun]

Regardless of politics in the USA, Ford needs its own EV product line to compete in Europe and elsewhere. Thus, Ford will continue to pour resources into the next-gen EV platform.

Ford is tens of billions into new manufacturing plants for EV’s.

You know the thing the current administration claims the tariff threats are for, building new manufacturing facilities in America.

I don’t think Ford is going to say screw it on multiple of their major plants years in the making.

 

[Jimrpa]

And companies need to make profitable products without the government for them to be sustainable.

Make a good product that people want at an affordable and competitive price and it won’t matter who is in government and what their politics are.

Verizon just entered the chat ?
(FAA contract)

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

Ford is tens of billions into new manufacturing plants for EV’s.

You know the thing the current administration claims the tariff threats are for, building new manufacturing facilities in America.

I don’t think Ford is going to say screw it on multiple of their major plants years in the making.

The TTT project isn’t about plants. Abandoning a dead end research project might make sense. Is the TTT at a dead end? I don’t know, Bill Ford stopped calling me for advice ages ago after I hung up on his 3 am calls one too many times.

I was really responding to the oft unstated presumption that what American’s want is identical or even similar to what people in the civilized world want. They don’t. They have different needs and infrastructure elsewhere.

Ford’s EU, UK, and Eurozone cars were neither built nor designed in the USA. The Puma Gen-e was designed and is built in Romania. The Capri and Explorer EVs were designed and are built in Cologne, Germany. And we all know where the EU version of the mme is built. What happens in the United States is increasingly and rapidly becoming irrelevant to the rest of world. Ford’s EV plans can and will be quite different depending on the target market. Those cars are also not going to be built in these new factories. Cripes, Ford doesn’t even design the Ranger pickup in the USA, and for good reason.

As for the new plants, those are going to be for the domestic market. Whether the EV portion is still viable is yet to be seen.

 

[Shayne]

What sells well in the USA doesn’t do well in Europe., hence Ford’s different offerings there. EV are crowding out everything else there. It will have to continue developing new and better EVs and EV technologies if Ford want to sell there.

Saw an article the other day that BYD will be coming out with solid state batteries in their ev's in 2027. More energy density and less weight not to mention the charging and fire resistance that also comes with solid state. I will believe it when I see it but here is hoping our country will allow selling them if this happens. May see these batteries in other EV's also. My buy NA loyalty and pride has weakened as of late.

Not sure if that is the same throughout the world including Europe. More expensive living on an island and may appear EU feels the same and not just for Tesla. The problem is obvious.

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