Ford's $30,000 EV Pickup Prototype Spotted Days After Slate Auto Reveal As Recall Woes Continue

Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F ) $30,000 EV Pickup truck was spotted testing recently as the battle for affordable EV pickup trucks heats up, but as CEO Jim Farley looks to the future, the automaker’s recall woes continue to pose challenges. $30,000 EV Pickup Truck Spotted Testing In a post on the social media platform Instagram on Monday, Kindel Auto posted a picture of the heavily camouflaged EV pickup truck testing on the streets of Phoenix, Arizona.

The post said that the truck was undergoing hot weather testing.

The pickup truck appears to be smaller in size when compared to the popular F-150 series trucks and features four doors.

Source: Kindel Auto via Instagram Based on Ford’s Universal EV Platform, the company is set to release the truck sometime next year.

Farley has touted the platform as an integral element in his plans to offset China’s growing influence in the global automotive market as Europe continues to see increased sales from Chinese manufacturers.

Slate Auto’s $25,000 Pickup Truck Slate Auto’s $25,000 electric pickup generated considerable buzz with its reveal.

Investor Ross Gerber of Gerber Kawasaki hailed the vehicle as something that had “never been done before" in the auto industry.

The investor also said that the truck’s fully customizable design would translate into people “loving” the truck, which will be Slate’s first product and offer 210 miles on a full charge.

Slate is backed by Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN ) founder Jeff Bezos, among others.

Ford Recalls 770,000 Vehicles However, Ford’s recall woes continue to plague the automaker.

The Detroit-based company issued two separate recalls on Monday, according to filings with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The first recall affects over 36,046 units of the 2022-2026 Ford Bronco and stems from a Fender Flare issue. “The fender flares may not be properly secured and detach from the vehicle,” Ford said in the filing, adding that dealers would fix the issue free of charge.

The other recall pertains to over 741,195 units of the 2018-2021 Ford Expedition and Lincoln Navigator, as well as the 2021 F-150 truck.

The Ford Explorer and Lincoln Aviator vehicles manufactured between 2020 and 2021 are also affected by the recall.

NHTSA filings suggest an issue with the automatic transmission in the aforementioned vehicles. “The transmission park pawl may engage while the vehicle is in motion, resulting in park system damage,” it said.

The damage to the park system could increase the chances of a crash due to a rollaway risk, the automaker said. “Dealers will update the powertrain control module software, and inspect and replace any damaged transmission components as necessary,” Ford said.

The recalls affect 777,241 vehicles.

According to Edge Rankings, Ford provides excellent Momentum and a favorable price trend in the Short, Medium and Long term.

Price Action: Ford Motor shares slipped 0.35% to $14.08 during premarket trading on Tuesday.

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