When you think of Formula 1, it’s unlikely a ute – or mid-sized pickup – comes to mind, but Ford says it’s using what it has learned from its recent return to F1 to shape its upcoming electric load-hauler.
Announced in August as the first model to be underpinned by Ford’s Universal EV Platform, the ute will be sized in between the Escape-based Maverick and the popular Ranger utes, while being the brand’s most advanced vehicle yet.
In its most recent detailing of the as-yet unnamed ute’s development ahead of its 2027 launch, Ford detailed how its aerodynamics team – more than half of which it claims had worked in Formula 1 – is making the pickup more efficient in the air than any other competitor.
To bring our new mid-size electric truck to life, we didn’t just look to the automotive industry for inspiration — we looked to the racetrack,” said Ford Advanced EV Aerodynamics senior manager, Saleem Merkt.
“By adapting a Formula 1-inspired development cycle, we shifted our focus toward a ‘fail fast, learn faster’ mentality.”
Based on a modular platform, Merkt says the pickup’s test mule utilised 3D-printed and machined parts to be able to change configurations within minutes, allowing development to take place in as little time as possible.
In addition to its human-led team, Ford admitted that by using digital tools throughout the development process, it has laid “the foundation for future AI-driven design”, allowing it to “pinpoint exactly which changes can have the biggest impact on battery cost and range, helping us understand the ‘why’ behind the physics”.
“By applying our F1-inspired toolkit, we were able to find aerodynamic gains in places others might overlook.”
According to Ford, this included using only one motor in the door mirrors (allowing the size of the housing to be reduced), tidying up the underside of the body, and sculpting the roofline to “carefully shed high-speed air in a teardrop profile that extends over the bed”.
“This creates a ‘virtual surface’, allowing the air to skip over the truck bed entirely. To the air, it is no longer a truck, but a sleek, aerodynamic silhouette.”
Images of the side profile are deliberately vague, however it appears the air profile which goes over the tub is similar to the body profile of the unique Deepal E07, an ‘SUV’ that features a ute-like tub under a sloping rear section of the body.
Ford CEO Jim Farley has previously said “Our first body style will be a pickup, but it’s really not a pickup. I would say it’s a new silhouette”, he told The Verge’s Decoder podcast.
“What I mean by that is that it has more room than a RAV4, the best-selling passenger car in the US. That doesn’t include its frunk and pickup truck bed.
“I think the whole package is something that has not been offered in the US or anywhere else to date. I think this first product is quite revolutionary.”
In total, Ford claims its tweaks to the conventional shape of a pickup with the developments of its EV mean it is 15 per cent more aerodynamically efficient, delivering up to 80km more driving range.
“We’re moving into real-world testing on tracks and city streets to make sure every detail is just right,” Merkt added.
“These insights will help us perfect our production and guide the next generation of our Universal EV Platform.
“You might not see the air we’ve managed, but you’ll certainly feel the difference in the drive.”
As previously reported, Ford has claimed the new ute will be “as fast as a Mustang EcoBoost” (which accelerates from 0-100km/h in about 5.5 seconds), and will start from “about US$30,000 (A$45,400)”.
While its name hasn’t officially been announced, Ford has recently trademarked the Ranchero name, previously used on a car-based ute in the US – similar to the Ford Falcon, or Chevrolet’s El Camino.
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