Ford Looks to Hit $30,000 EV Price Target by Shrinking Battery

Ford Motor Co. is out to prove that it hasn’t retreated entirely from the electric vehicle race, despite the $19.5 billion retrenchment it revealed in December. In doing so, it’s gearing up for next year’s debut of a budget-priced EV line to contend with China.

The automaker engineered its next-generation EV to be lighter, sleeker and more electrically efficient so that it can go farther on a charge and still start at $30,000, some $20,000 cheaper than the average new car in America. In a social media blitz Tuesday, Ford touted how it shrunk the size of the costly battery while also extending its driving range by nearly 50 miles in a bid to field a mid-sized electric pickup in 2027 for the price of a traditional gasoline-fueled vehicle.