Ford Cancels Next-Gen Electrical Architecture Development

[rmc523]

Ford Cancels Next-Gen Electrical Architecture Development: Report

 

The automaker has also been working on developing a new electrical architecture over the past few years that was designed to help it better compete with the likes of Tesla, but now, it seems as if that project has been canceled.

According to Reuters, Ford has opted to nix its FNV4 (fully-networked vehicle) program, which it has invested heavily in with a goal of improving quality, cutting costs, and adding additional, profitable features to future models. Ultimately, delays and soaring costs are what sealed the architecture’s fate, but learnings from the program will be used in its current software program, regardless. Ford’s skunkworks EV team is also developing its own advanced electrical architecture, and that project remains on track.

FNV4 was intended to be a “zonal” system, one that bundles smaller software brains to control functions in certain parts of a vehicle and also communicate with a larger central brain, effectively shortening the length of pricey wiring harnesses and speeding up over-the-air-updates. Perhaps more notably, these types of advanced systems are also often used as a way to offer customers add-on subscription features such as BlueCruise. However, Farley recently revealed that the company’s low-cost EVs won’t offer advanced driver-assist systems such as Level 3 autonomy.

 

 

 

 

So back to the drawing board again?  And the small EVs are a completely different setup??

[akirby]

I suspect the skunkworks version showed that it was still too expensive and inefficient.  They’re probably looking to scale up the ce1 stuff.

[Rick73]

21 minutes ago, rmc523 said:

However, Farley recently revealed that the company’s low-cost EVs won’t offer advanced driver-assist systems such as Level 3 autonomy.

Smart to focus on “low cost” options remaining as affordable as practical, and letting buyers decide.  Trying to push all buyers upmarket hasn’t worked out great for a lot of companies.

[jpd80]

2 hours ago, akirby said:

I suspect the skunkworks version showed that it was still too expensive and inefficient.  They’re probably looking to scale up the ce1 stuff.

Yes CE1 opened Farley’s eyes on what can be done out and away from Ford’s  “big book of rules” bureaucracy.

I think this is more proof that Ford’s own corporate BEV efforts are not achieving intended objectives.

 

[Dequindre]

What vehicles was FNV4 anticipated to underpin? 

[jpd80]

3 hours ago, Dequindre said:

What vehicles was FNV4 anticipated to underpin? 

Not a single vehicle as much as advanced software to work with fuel and electric vehicles. FNV4 was headed up by Doug Field…. suspect it was like the Tesla single brain software to control everything 

 

some details here

https://www.gurufocus.com/news/2820741/ford-cancels-fnv4-electric-architecture-project-amid-cost-overruns

 

 

Edited May 2, 2025 by jpd80

[rmc523]

Next-Gen Ford EV Platform Will Have Its Own Architecture

 

“We simply made a decision to merge two of our electrical architectures into a common electrical architecture for use across many more vehicles, across all powertrain types, to have the connected digital experiences that have been so well received in products like the F-150, Mustang Mach-E and Lincoln Nautilus and Navigator, while many others in the industry are bringing the most advanced tech only to EVs,” Bergg added. “Now, future EVs AND vehicles like Bronco, Mustang, Super Duty, Ranger and Transit will have those capabilities too.”

[Sherminator98]

15 minutes ago, rmc523 said:

Next-Gen Ford EV Platform Will Have Its Own Architecture

 

“We simply made a decision to merge two of our electrical architectures into a common electrical architecture for use across many more vehicles, across all powertrain types, to have the connected digital experiences that have been so well received in products like the F-150, Mustang Mach-E and Lincoln Nautilus and Navigator, while many others in the industry are bringing the most advanced tech only to EVs,” Bergg added. “Now, future EVs AND vehicles like Bronco, Mustang, Super Duty, Ranger and Transit will have those capabilities too.”

 

Well that makes sense and partly explains why the NG F-150 was delayed.