Ford reportedly abandons E/E architecture development
According to Reuters, citing insider sources, Ford is stepping back from its previously ambitious programme to create an advanced E/E architecture under the working title FNV4 (‘fully-networked vehicle’). Company executives had consistently described the system as “pivotal to competing with electric-vehicle pioneers such as Tesla.” The reported reasons for the reversal are “ballooning costs and delays.” The FNV4 project is said to have contributed significantly to Ford’s losses in the electric vehicle and software segments, which totalled five billion US dollars in 2024.
Reuters reports that the project had been a strategic priority for Ford CEO Jim Farley and his deputy Doug Field, a former Apple and Tesla executive who joined the company in 2021. Following the apparent U-turn, the learnings from FNV4 are now expected to be incorporated into Ford’s current software platform, which is being developed by a so-called Skunkworks team within the company’s California operations.
A common weakness of current automotive software systems is their fragmented nature, as they often integrate code from dozens of suppliers. This complexity makes them difficult to maintain and update. Whether Ford is now exploring a partnership, similar to Volkswagen’s collaboration with Rivian, is not addressed in the report.
Farley reiterated to Reuters as recently as September that the company remained firmly committed to building software-defined vehicles – not only electric cars, but also combustion engine and hybrid models.
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