Ford CEO Jim Farley Says EV Pickup Will Launch With ‘Simple’ BlueCruise Tech

There’s still a lot we don’t know about the future mid-size Ford EV pickup – including what it will be called – but details pertaining to that new model have trickled out slowly in recent weeks. One thing we learned from Ford CEO Jim Farley recently is that the low-cost model, riding on the automaker’s new universal platform, won’t come equipped with Level 3 autonomous technology, as that would require the use of expensive hardware. However, the forthcoming Ford EV pickup will have some sort of simplified self-driving tech, it seems.

“We don’t need all the singing and dancing, hands-free automation at launch. Maybe we focus BlueCruise on a simple operating domain like high-speed safety, with hands-off highway operations for the autonomy solution,” Farley said during a recent appearance on The Verge‘s Decoder podcast.

“Then gradually, as we verify the delivery of that base capability – whether it’s the vehicle structure, the manufacturing process of the suppliers, or even automation – we start to introduce more complexity and capability over time when we feel comfortable. That makes it stressful for the go-to-market team because, frankly, they don’t know what they’re going to be selling in a year and a half. But that’s the only way we’ve found to do this.”

Farley previously admitted that he was worried about taking cost-cutting measures too far with the company’s future low-cost EVs, but the exec has assured us that the new pickup will come with a robust list of features, regardless. That includes a “mostly digital interior featuring a large screen,” and Mustang EcoBoost-rivaling performance in a standard rear-wheel drive format. Additionally, Farley previously revealed that the EV pickup will be able to “power your house for six days.”

The new Ford EV pickup will only be offered in four-door guise with lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) battery packs, and a targeted starting price of $30,000. Otherwise, there’s still a lot we don’t know about the forthcoming model – its actual reveal date, final starting price, EPA-estimated battery range, and charging times. However, as Ford Authority previously reported, it could use the Ranchero name, based on a recent trademark filing in the U.S.