Ford C2 Is Model for EV Scale, Lower Costs

While not including BEVs, Ford’s C2 architecture is a case study in getting base-platform dimensions right, to support a range of models and drive down cost.

Ford’s global C2 platform currently underpins the Escape, Escape Hybrid, Bronco Sport (above) and the conventional and hybrid variants of the new Maverick compact pickup. (Ford)

Has the auto industry ever seen a more dynamic and outright crazy time than today’s second coming of the electric vehicle? Those of us who visited Rivian Automotive’s L.A. auto show display a few years ago were immediately drawn to the naked R1T pickup chassis and electric drive system standing upright behind a glass case. We were impressed by the fresh thinking in the pickup’s cab, interior and cargo box. But few of us would have imagined startup Rivian generating such a blockbuster IPO in 2021. Twelve years in the making, with a mere 200-odd units built to date (most sold to employees), Rivian made history by eclipsing the market valuation of Ford and Nio and briefly topping General Motors in its first trading day.

Crazy indeed – but Rivian’s inaugural product is cleverly engineered and compelling. Recently I drove a production-spec R1T on a 50-mile loop around Ann Arbor, Michigan. My route, with a development engineer riding shotgun, included an interstate highway, rural 2-lane roads, and in-town driving. It showcased the R1T’s multiple drive modes, sophisticated suspension and intuitive human-machine interface. Overall, the Rivian pickup is state-of-the-art. But to my thinking, it’s still not yet a practical choice to satisfy most pickup owners’ duty cycles – that thinking being informed by data showing that more than 90% of Tesla owners have at least one other vehicle on which to rely. And these happen to be IC-engine powered. Even the products of Wall St. darlings, many customers must believe, have limitations.

Lucid Motors’ Air is another recent EV entrée that’s receiving rave reviews – an “electron-fueled magic carpet ride” is how one colleague described the electric luxury sedan. The Air’s wow factor is enhanced by the fact that many of Lucid’s key technologies, including the electric drive module and infotainment system, are in-house developments, with higher costs. Like the Rivian R1T, the Lucid’s base price is more than $74,000, putting these two electric interlopers into rich-customer territory. Of a similar stripe is GM’s Hummer EV, brought to market in a remarkably aggressive development program. The beastly Hummer, with its $108,000 base sticker is, sadly, another play to rich folks.

While the Hummer EV leverages GM’s new electric truck platform and Ultium propulsion system (shared by upcoming Silverado/Sierra EVs and their electric SUV counterparts to eventually build production scale), Rivian, Lucid and many other EV startups lack similar bandwidth. Broad and deep product pipelines that are engineered for platform, subsystems and component commonization, at high volume, are essential for lower cost. And the biggest “gotta have” for electrification right now is significantly lower vehicle costs.

OEMs seeking inspiration on how to leverage their upcoming EV architectures should consult Ford’s C2 playbook. The global C2 platform currently underpins Escape, Escape Hybrid, Bronco Sport (top) and the conventional and hybrid variants of the new Maverick compact pickup. While it doesn’t encompass battery-electrics, C2 is a case study in getting the base platform right – particularly in key customer-facing dimensions (i.e., driver’s foot box) and costly-to-reconfigure hard points which carry over into subsequent models. C2 has proven its ability to successfully support a growing range of models, body styles and powertrains, and to help drive down cost.

Every new EV program needs the cost/features/quality balance that Ford achieved with the Maverick hybrid, resulting in the truck’s revelatory $19,995 base price. Most of all, the EV customer needs it. GM’s recent claim to have an upcoming EV priced under $30,000, likely on a new compact platform, and Volkswagen’s efforts with its modular MEQ, give hope that others are pursuing similar strategy.