Ford Says Brand’s First All-Electric Vehicle Will be Affordable, Have Better Range Than Tesla Model 3

Ford announces a range of “at least” 300 miles for its upcoming all-electric Compact Utility Vehicle.

byRob Stumpf|
Ford Says Brand’s First All-Electric Vehicle Will be Affordable, Have Better Range Than Tesla Model 3
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At its media event in January, Ford CEO Mark Field dropped a bunch of electric news, including a plethora of models receiving an electric drivetrain option—the most surprising being the Mustang and F-150, both of which are planned to receive a plug-in hybrid option. An interesting tidbit mentioned is the plan for a fully electric Compact Utility Vehicle that would have “at least” a range of 300 miles. When CTO Raj Nair spoke with  Business Insider yesterday, it was confirmed that Ford is going all-out to introduce this model before 2020.

“To get electrification volumes where we would all like them to be we have to make sure we make the affordability targets or otherwise they are going to stay as a niche item or a pure luxury item”

Raj Nair, Ford CTO

The Ford CTO confirmed that the vehicle will be “an affordable crossover utility that will be fully competitive,” meaning that its main current competitor will likely be the Chevy Bolt. However, Tesla has mentioned that their own competitor in the class, known now as the Model Y, would be released around the same time frame and built on their next-generation platform.

Ford is planning to make this their first affordable, mass-produced electric car, which would essentially be Ford’s response to Tesla working towards the Model 3, just a different form factor. Ford claims that its technology has the perceived capability of reaching a range of 300 miles on a single charge, which rivals the Model S and outperforms the Chevy Bolt by nearly 65 miles. As for hybrids, it is expected to eclipse the Ford Focus Electric battery-only range threefold, and do nearly the same with the Nissan Leaf.

Ford is late to the EV game, however they are making strides to play catch up. If they can truly produce an EV with over 300 miles of range and for an affordable price point, it will help to slingshot Ford into the market space and grow the electrified car market.

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