• Ford’s upcoming mid-size electric pickup truck is getting closer.
• The American automaker offered a glimpse at the $30,000 EV’s potential design.
• In a new video series, Ford also shows off the first camouflaged working prototypes during cold-weather testing.

Ford may have ditched the F-150 Lightning, but the American car company is not done with electric pickups yet. The automaker’s upcoming mid-size truck, which is expected to cost around $30,000, is still alive and kicking, and on track for a 2027 reveal.

In a new video series, Ford is offering a glimpse into the development of its make-or-break electric car, including shots of the EV during cold-weather testing, the radical new assembly process, and the potential final design of the car.

Photo by: Ford

One of the videos posted on an elusive new webpage shows several design sketches that cement the image of a rather boxy vehicle with vertical headlamps and a car-like silhouette. Another video that shows several camouflaged prototypes backs the idea of a Maverick-sized pickup with a relatively short bed. 

All this being said, nobody—except Ford—knows what the finished entry-level electric pickup will look like or what it will be called. Some rumors suggest that the Ranchero nameplate will make a return, but we’ll have to wait and see what the blue oval brand has in store for its radical new EV.

Based on an all-new, bespoke architecture dubbed the Universal Electric Vehicle (UEV) platform, Ford’s new mid-size pickup will make extensive use of megacastings—huge body parts that reduce the number of parts—that are bolted together in sections. 

Photo by: Ford

There’s a front part, a middle part, and a rear section. Previously, Ford said that each of these sections would be assembled on a separate line, and they would be bolted together at the end of the line. In another video posted on the model’s dedicated webpage, the automaker shows how the front part of the car is clipped onto the main chassis in an area of the factory called “The Chapel of Love,” where the two sections get “married.”

Mark Gentry, who works at Ford’s New Model Program Development Center (NMPDC), said he has been building Ford prototypes for 27 years and that nothing has gone together as easily as the new EV. The video also shows workers using bolts and adhesive to assemble various parts.

The company has previously said that the upcoming electric pickup will offer the interior space of a mid-size truck in the footprint of a Maverick. The new EV would also be as fast as a gas-powered Mustang EcoBoost and more spacious than a Toyota RAV4, thanks to the front trunk and rear bed.

Photo by: Ford

Ford has yet to offer solid details on the EV’s powertrain, but it has hinted that it would be powered by a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) or nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery with a maximum capacity of around 51 kilowatt-hours. That’s about half of what the cheapest F-150 Lightning truck offered, but the company is adamant that the new, purpose-built pickup will offer sufficient range, thanks to the car being much lighter and more aerodynamic.

The traction battery will be rated at 400 volts, which is a downgrade compared to the latest and greatest EVs out there, which have 800V or higher-voltage packs, but Ford said that it’s the right choice for this particular use case because it enables access to all installed charging infrastructure, it’s affordable, and it can make money for the company. Vehicle-to-load (V2L), which allows owners to export energy from the main battery to power tools and appliances, will be baked in.

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Two-wheel drive and all-wheel drive options are in the works, with the Detroit automaker claiming that the electric motors, which will be built in-house, will be the cheapest in the world, allowing it to keep the costs down and the selling price low.

Ford’s new $30,000 pickup is expected to debut next year.

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Source: Ford

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The Rivian R2 has the potential to become an even bigger thing for the company than everyone expected.

It goes without saying that the midsize electric SUV will target a much larger demographic than the existing high-end R1S and R1T, but it looks like the growth potential of the R2 will be even more significant.

That’s because Rivian is reportedly developing additional variants of the R2 that it hasn’t disclosed previously. While Rivian recently began volume production of the R2 at its Illinois plant, CEO RJ Scaringe told Reuters the new Georgia plant is being built to support multiple versions of the R2 platform, allowing flexibility as the EV maker ramps up production.

Rivian R2 Pickup and R2X Performance Model Not Ruled Out

While Scaringe did not get into details, he did suggest R2 versions may include pickup or performance models. “There are other variants of R2, which we haven’t shown,” Scaringe said in an interview with the news agency when asked about a pickup variant of the R2. “What we’re building in Georgia allows for different variations,” he added.

Rivian previously said the R2 midsize platform would also underpin a smaller R3 crossover and the R3X performance variant further down the line, but it looks like an R2X performance model is also in the cards. “So clearly there could be an R2X,” Scaringe said. “There’s going to be combinations. I want to be careful not to announce the program.”

While that’s great news, Rivian needs to nail the R2 rollout first, as deliveries of the new model are expected to start around June. In March, the company has announced various trims of the R2 SUV, including a $58,000 R2 Performance Launch Edition model, a $53,990 R2 Premium trim coming before the end of the year, and the $48,490 R2 Standard arriving in the first half of 2027. 

Mind you, the long-awaited $45,000 entry-level R2 trim will become available by late 2027. Expected to offer over 275 miles of range, the base Rivian R2 is likely to significantly expand the company’s customer base.

The R2 Is Expected to Boost Rivian Deliveries by 53% This Year

Rivian expects deliveries to jump 53% this year driven by the launch of the R2. Assuming a smooth production ramp and steady demand, the company expects to deliver roughly 22,000-23,000 R2s, contributing to a significant increase in Rivian’s EV market share.

Initially, the R2 is being built at the existing plant in Normal, Illinois. But the midsize electric SUV will also be built at the new factory in Georgia, which is expected to start production in 2028; the smaller R3 and R3X will also be made at the site.

Rivian has been awarded a $4.5 billion loan from the Department of Energy to build the plant, and the company will begin to access the loan next year. Initially, the loan was supposed to amount to $6.57 billion, but on April 30 Rivian announced that it renegotiated the terms in order to draw on the loan sooner and have greater initial production.

As a result, the Georgia plant is now projected to have an annual output of 300,000 vehicles given the uncertain demand for all-electric vehicles, down from an initial projected capacity of 400,000. Rivian’s new factory will also build the 10,000 autonomous R2 robotaxis contracted by Uber as part of a $1.25 billion deal.

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Electric vehicles tend to perform very well in crash-safety tests, due to how their bodies are structured. Heavy batteries help create a lower center of gravity, while the absence of an engine allows designers more space to create effective crumple zones. The Tesla Cybertruck and Rivian R1T pickups are two of the biggest EVs around, so their sheer size can also improve crash safety. But how do they compare to each other? And how do they perform when it comes to crash prevention? To answer those questions, we’ve compared the latest safety ratings for both pickups from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). Let’s see which one is safest.

Related: Ford F-150 Vs. Chevy Silverado 1500 Vs. Ram 1500: Which Pickup Is The Safest?

Crashworthiness: Cybertruck Takes The Lead

The IIHS runs three core crashworthiness tests: small overlap front, moderate overlap front, and side. These tests collectively evaluate how a vehicle performs in different scenarios, whether it’s an offset crash with another car or hitting something with the front corner. Each test is rated as Good, Acceptable, Marginal, or Poor. Here’s how the two vehicles compared.

While there are no red flags for either pickup, the Cybertruck performed better in the moderate overlap front test, where many other full-size pickups tend to struggle. In this particular evaluation, the Tesla’s rear passenger restraints and dummy kinetics received a Good rating, while the Rivian’s rating was Marginal. That brought down the Rivian’s overall score and prevented it from attaining a Top Safety Pick+ award. The Cybertruck achieved this and is the only tested full-size pickup to do so.

Both pickups generally performed well in crash tests.

Related: Tesla Cybertruck Vs. Ford F-150 Lightning Safety Ratings—Which Truck Is Safer?

Crash Prevention: More Good News For Tesla

In this category, the IIHS assesses a vehicle’s ability to avoid a crash with another vehicle or a pedestrian. Headlights are also tested for effectiveness.

Once again, the Cybertruck achieved only Good ratings—it easily lives up to Tesla’s generally excellent reputation for safety. The Rivian’s headlights and vehicle-to-vehicle crash-prevention system were rated as Acceptable. On curves, the Cybertruck’s high beams were more effective than the Rivian’s. In vehicle-to-vehicle collision avoidance, the Cybertruck warned the driver of a possible collision more effectively than the Rivian did.

As in the crashworthiness category, the Rivian isn’t bad at all, but there are a few gaps where its performance could be perfected.

Final Verdict: Tesla Builds The Safest Pickup

Things may change in the future, but 2026 IIHS ratings show that the Tesla is the only pickup of any size to achieve the organization’s Top Safety Pick+ award. Pickup safety has improved in recent years, but still lags behind other body styles of vehicle, where Top Safety Pick+ awards are more commonly earned. The Cybertruck beats its R1T rival in these tests, although the Rivian can’t be described as unsafe—it still held up well in crash tests and put in a solid performance for crash prevention.

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