To make these EVs cheaper, Ford had to make them simpler and quicker to manufacture. The simplified SDV domains mean that the wiring harness uses 4,000 feet (1.3 km) less copper. There are 40 percent fewer workstations, 20 percent fewer components, and 25 percent fewer fasteners than in a conventional Ford, and overall assembly time will be 15 percent faster than Ford’s average.

Like the other new auto factories I’ve visited recently, it sounds like Ford has paid a lot of attention to worker ergonomics, and as parts arrive at workstations they’ll do so in kits with all the fasteners, scanners, and power tools required, even in the correct orientation. Fewer workstations and fewer parts to assemble means about 600 fewer workers at the Louisville Assembly Plant when production starts in 2027, unfortunately.

Ford is splitting the production line into three. One assembles the front subassembly, another the rear subassembly, and the third the battery pack and interior, which then meet for final assembly. And it’s moved to large single-piece castings for the front and rear subframe to allow this approach.