Advanced Ford EV Team Gets New Campus In Long Beach, California

In late June, we learned that Ford was set to return to Long Beach, California following a rather long absence of 65 years. In fact, the advanced Ford EV team is going to be housed there in a new/old facility, coexisting with the new Product Development Center in Dearborn, Michigan, and Greenfield Labs, which is based in Palo Alto. This team has been developing a new, low-cost EV platform over the past few years, which will underpin a variety of future models. Now, the advanced Ford EV team’s new campus is officially open.

Ford has officially debuted its new, two-building campus in Long Beach, California, where its “skunkworks” EV team will be housed. Interestingly, the facility was originally built 95 years ago as a means to expand Model A production, after which it was converted into an Army depot during World War II. Now, it will serve as Ford’s main design and innovation hub in Southern California, officially dubbed the Electric Vehicle Development Center.

Ford CEO Jim Farley has referred to a forthcoming, big, EV-related announcement – set for August 11^th – as a “Model T moment” for the company, and that concept has been reflected in the new development center, too. “Just like that milestone vehicle, we aim for simplification, making things work well without overcomplicating them. Easy to understand, yet sparking that same kind of thrill you get when ‘unboxing’ a new gadget,” said Ann Diep, senior technical program manager.

The 250,000 square-foot campus houses a new design studio space, a digital visualization room, a milling and fabrication shop, and new labs equipped with the latest in EV testing equipment. There’s also an outdoor design review courtyard intended to serve as a collaborative space for multiple departments, where they can gather and exchange ideas. They certainly have a big task ahead – Farley previously said that the company is betting everything on its skunkworks team – which is precisely why the automaker is still actively seeking the best in terms of engineering talent to add to that department.