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Inside Ford’s Secret Plan to Beat China at the EV Game
Ford's Model T is a famous vehicle in the history of the automobile. It helped revolutionize the process of mass-production. It helped bring affordable transportation to the masses. And it kick-started the gasoline vehicle into the dominant position in the automotive fuel wars. Now Ford says it's about to introduce its next "Model T Moment". This time, it's all about electric vehicles 'affordability' and matching (or maybe even besting) what China's EV industry is churning out. But can it? Will it? And what did we learn from Ford's special Kentucky event?
We've watched Ford introduce a range of different electric vehicles over the last decade. The early ones were little more than compliance cars. The most recent are expensive, and frankly, too large for many customers.
And Ford's realized that. Its CEO Jim Farley fell in love with the Xiaomi SU7 last year, and openly admitted that the Chinese auto market is eating the US and European electric automakers for lunch. But while Ford has been making the F150 Lightning, Mustang Mach E, Capri, and Explorer EV (not to mention the e-Transit), its had a skunkworks team in California working on trying to distill the essence of an affordable EV in preparation to do battle with China's EV industry.
If you can't beat them... Join them?
[Editorial note: We know we didn't mention either Slate nor Telo in this video. This was because we wanted to focus on legacy automakers making the switch rather than startups with (as yet) unproven track records. That doesn't mean we feel they don't have a chance, because... as history has shown, the auto industry can be very complex and unexpected]
⏱️ Chapter Breakdown:
00:00 - Introduction
01:49 - The U.S. Auto Industry NEEDS Change
04:53 - The "Model T Moment"
06:44 - Ford's Louisville Event
07:36 - Ford's new production line
10:46 - No more shoehoring components in
12:45 - Marker 6
15:46 - Ford admits it's a gamble
17:02 - Hints about the first vehicle on the platform
23:35 - WHy not chinese vehicles in the US?
25:34 - Is it going to happen?
27:58 - 2027 is a long way away
28:20 - Let's talk affordability
32:41 - Thanks, and Goodbye!
👥 Today’s Sponsors
🌱 Electric Vehicle Association - https://www.myeva.org
⚡ EnergySage - https://www.kqzyfj.com/click-101290941-16952262
🎁 Win an EV with CCAN Action Fund! ➡️ https://bit.ly/transportevolvedEVraffle
Choose from:
• Rivian R1T / R1S
• Lucid Gravity / Air
• Porsche Macan EV / Taycan
🏅 2nd prize: Ioniq 5 or VW ID. Buzz
🥉 3rd prize: Chevy Equinox EV
🎟️ $200 ticket supports CCAN Action Fund nonprofit work
—
✊ Get Involved 🗳️ https://indivisible.org/town-hall-resources
❤️ Support the Show
📰 https://www.transportevolved.com
🔥 https://www.patreon.com/transportevolved
☕ https://ko-fi.com/transportevolved
📺 https://www.youtube.com/transportevolved
👕 https://www.redbubble.com/people/TransportEVd/
🛍️ https://amzn.to/40xOyjm
₿ 1QRZRGCCXUKPDZ2DZ9KX9JYJXMZDYHYGFZ0MN4WH
💬 Join the Conversation
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💬 https://discord.gg/9WAjfQn
🌀 https://bsky.app/profile/transportevolved.bsky.social
🔁 Subscribe to our 2nd channel - https://www.youtube.com/transportevolvedtake2
🎙️ Credits:
Host & Script: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield
Camera, Edit & Color: Vi Horton
Art & Animation: Erin Carlie
Producer: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield
Music: via Artlist.io
© Transport Evolved LLC, 2025
🔗 Links:
Ethical Consumerism: https://youtu.be/8A-T5JGWyqk
Blood Batteries: https://youtu.be/8A-T5JGWyqk
EX30 Review: https://youtu.be/WU8zzkr7r8Q
MG4 Review: https://youtu.be/wgPnviQd-18
View all episodes
By Ford's Model T is a famous vehicle in the history of the automobile. It helped revolutionize the process of mass-production. It helped bring affordable transportation to the masses. And it kick-started the gasoline vehicle into the dominant position in the automotive fuel wars. Now Ford says it's about to introduce its next "Model T Moment". This time, it's all about electric vehicles 'affordability' and matching (or maybe even besting) what China's EV industry is churning out. But can it? Will it? And what did we learn from Ford's special Kentucky event?
We've watched Ford introduce a range of different electric vehicles over the last decade. The early ones were little more than compliance cars. The most recent are expensive, and frankly, too large for many customers.
And Ford's realized that. Its CEO Jim Farley fell in love with the Xiaomi SU7 last year, and openly admitted that the Chinese auto market is eating the US and European electric automakers for lunch. But while Ford has been making the F150 Lightning, Mustang Mach E, Capri, and Explorer EV (not to mention the e-Transit), its had a skunkworks team in California working on trying to distill the essence of an affordable EV in preparation to do battle with China's EV industry.
If you can't beat them... Join them?
[Editorial note: We know we didn't mention either Slate nor Telo in this video. This was because we wanted to focus on legacy automakers making the switch rather than startups with (as yet) unproven track records. That doesn't mean we feel they don't have a chance, because... as history has shown, the auto industry can be very complex and unexpected]
⏱️ Chapter Breakdown:
00:00 - Introduction
01:49 - The U.S. Auto Industry NEEDS Change
04:53 - The "Model T Moment"
06:44 - Ford's Louisville Event
07:36 - Ford's new production line
10:46 - No more shoehoring components in
12:45 - Marker 6
15:46 - Ford admits it's a gamble
17:02 - Hints about the first vehicle on the platform
23:35 - WHy not chinese vehicles in the US?
25:34 - Is it going to happen?
27:58 - 2027 is a long way away
28:20 - Let's talk affordability
32:41 - Thanks, and Goodbye!
👥 Today’s Sponsors
🌱 Electric Vehicle Association - https://www.myeva.org
⚡ EnergySage - https://www.kqzyfj.com/click-101290941-16952262
🎁 Win an EV with CCAN Action Fund! ➡️ https://bit.ly/transportevolvedEVraffle
Choose from:
• Rivian R1T / R1S
• Lucid Gravity / Air
• Porsche Macan EV / Taycan
🏅 2nd prize: Ioniq 5 or VW ID. Buzz
🥉 3rd prize: Chevy Equinox EV
🎟️ $200 ticket supports CCAN Action Fund nonprofit work
—
✊ Get Involved 🗳️ https://indivisible.org/town-hall-resources
❤️ Support the Show
📰 https://www.transportevolved.com
🔥 https://www.patreon.com/transportevolved
☕ https://ko-fi.com/transportevolved
📺 https://www.youtube.com/transportevolved
👕 https://www.redbubble.com/people/TransportEVd/
🛍️ https://amzn.to/40xOyjm
₿ 1QRZRGCCXUKPDZ2DZ9KX9JYJXMZDYHYGFZ0MN4WH
💬 Join the Conversation
🐘 https://mastodon.transportevolved.com/@show
💬 https://discord.gg/9WAjfQn
🌀 https://bsky.app/profile/transportevolved.bsky.social
🔁 Subscribe to our 2nd channel - https://www.youtube.com/transportevolvedtake2
🎙️ Credits:
Host & Script: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield
Camera, Edit & Color: Vi Horton
Art & Animation: Erin Carlie
Producer: Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield
Music: via Artlist.io
© Transport Evolved LLC, 2025
🔗 Links:
Ethical Consumerism: https://youtu.be/8A-T5JGWyqk
Blood Batteries: https://youtu.be/8A-T5JGWyqk
EX30 Review: https://youtu.be/WU8zzkr7r8Q
MG4 Review: https://youtu.be/wgPnviQd-18