Ford to offer eye-off driving technology in $30,000 EV in 2028

ford motor The Detroit automaker announced Wednesday that it plans to introduce eyes-off driving technology in a $30,000 all-electric vehicle scheduled for 2028.

This target puts Ford in competition with competitors such as: tesla, general motors and Rivian Automotive Wall Street sees it as a potential growth market for fully autonomous vehicles.

Ford’s plans are similar to those of other automakers, but the company specifically plans to offer the new system first in mainstream EVs rather than more expensive models, contrary to typical technology rollouts in the auto industry.

“This is part of an evolving broader technology strategy to bring our best and most cutting-edge technology to high-volume, easy-to-access places,” Doug Field, Ford’s chief EV, digital and design officer, said in an interview with CNBC.

The first vehicles equipped with the new system will be built on the company’s upcoming “Universal EV Platform,” which Ford says can support a variety of vehicles. The first is a midsize pickup truck priced at about $30,000 that is scheduled to hit the market in 2027.

Mr. Field joined Ford after working for Ford Motor Company. apple Tesla said the first vehicle equipped with the Eyes Off system will be sold at that starting price, but did not say whether it would be a pickup truck.

Ford says its next-generation EV platform will have 20% fewer parts, 25% fewer fasteners, 40% fewer workstations in the factory and 15% faster assembly time compared to typical vehicles.

Field unveiled the Eyes Off system at the CES Technology Show in Las Vegas, along with other plans including a new vehicle software architecture and a Ford-designed artificial intelligence assistant.

GM announced similar plans in October, including an AI assistant and eyes-off system scheduled to be installed in the electric Cadillac Escalade IQ in 2028. This vehicle currently costs over $127,000.

Ford, led by CEO Jim Farley, is under pressure to deliver a new vehicle platform known as UEV and its supporting technology, which primarily applies to the field.

The company has wasted billions of dollars in recent years amid a shift in EV strategy and quality and production issues.

Ford has significantly cut back on EV spending and shifted its focus from large, all-electric pickup trucks and SUVs to smaller, more affordable models through its special project Skunk Works team, which developed the UEV platform. Ford announced plans to invest about $5 billion in U.S. factories that produce vehicles and the batteries that power them.

Mr Field said the Skunk Works team had been a “bet” for the past few years and “started to build a tremendous amount of confidence” in “the last few months”.

He said Ford now has all the critical software and support hardware needed in-house for a new generation of technologically advanced vehicles that differentiate the automaker.

“One of the things we’re seeing is how much faster the development process for this product and this architecture is than it has been in the past,” Field said. “So we have great confidence in our ability to make this happen.”

Ford said last month that it expects to record special items of about $19.5 billion through 2027 related to these restructuring efforts and reduced investment in electric vehicles.

Field said Ford’s planned eyes-off system, which the auto industry calls “Level 3 driving automation,” will leverage an array of sensors and in-house software development to lower costs compared to competitors.

Field declined to comment on the roadmap for expanding the new system to other vehicles, but said the goal is to commoditize the technology.

“The actual rollout schedule will be based on a lot of work that we have to do about which customers need it in their applications, when and which products are currently most ready,” Field said. “It will take time to deploy everywhere, but we prioritize based on where it will have the greatest impact on our customers.”

SAE International, formerly known as the Society of Automotive Engineers, characterizes vehicle autonomy from Level 0 to Level 5. The top level, Level 5, is a fully autonomous vehicle, with each step from Level 0 adding technology that allows the human driver to be more “outside the net”.

Ford currently offers a Level 2 advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) known as BlueCruise. While active, the vehicle can drive autonomously on divided highways without human intervention under certain conditions, but drivers must remain alert to the road and systems in case something goes wrong.

Ford’s new AI assistant will launch in early 2026 through a phone app for Ford and Lincoln, followed by a native in-car experience starting in 2027, the company announced Wednesday.

While several other automakers have announced plans for AI digital assistants, Field said he believes Ford will leverage each vehicle’s unique identification number to provide unique capabilities unique to each vehicle or truck.

Ford says the AI ​​assistant can look at photos of trailers to see, for example, whether a vehicle can properly tow a trailer or assess how many bags of mulch can fit inside a car or truck.

“We think AI Companion can be something special for Ford, and it’s representative of what we’re trying to do in terms of customer experience,” Field said.

Helping improve the customer experience is expected to be a modern in-house software architecture that Ford calls an “Unified Digital Platform” that will debut on the UEV platform.

The company said the updated system will result in a “more integrated ‘brain’ in the car – a single powerful module that brings together infotainment, ADAS, audio and networking.”

“For customers, that means a vehicle that feels more stable, reliable and capable year after year,” Field said in a blog post accompanying the CES announcement.