Ford’s $30,000 electric truck spotted testing—it’s shockingly small

Ford has been caught testing a new electric pickup in Long Beach, California, and it’s a radical departure from the hulking modern trucks that dominate the market. The prototype, cloaked in camouflage and cladding, is tiny—closer in size to the old Ford Ranger than the current F-150. It’s so compact that it looks more like a crossover than a full-size truck, yet Ford insists it will offer more passenger space than a Toyota RAV4, even before accounting for the front trunk or bed cargo area. The bed itself appears deep but short, and the liftgate opens low to the ground, making it unusually accessible for a truck. The design is heavily aerodynamic, with a steeply raked windshield reminiscent of a sedan, narrow daylight opening, and tiny side mirrors. The front cladding distorts the hood to exaggerate its height, while the headlights sit low for maximum airflow efficiency. At the rear, cladding hides potential aerodynamic tweaks, possibly including a roof spoiler. Inside, the only visible detail is a pair of screens protruding from the dashboard. The truck rides high, blending SUV-like ride height with pickup utility. Ford is banking on its new Universal Electric Vehicle platform, an architecture designed to counter China’s EV dominance, with this pickup as its first model. Pricing is expected to start at around $30,000 when it goes on sale next year, and the platform will underpin multiple future models. If you’ve been frustrated by the size creep of modern pickups, this could be the antidote—a truck built for function, not intimidation.