Ford is promising a revolution. The company plans to make a big announcement on August 11 about its electric vehicle future, an event it is hyping as a “Model T moment.”
In a blog post, Ford invoked the spirit of its most iconic creation, the car that “put the world on wheels” by making transportation “accessible to the masses.” The message is clear: Ford believes it is on the verge of launching a breakthrough EV that is both capable and, crucially, affordable. But what is it?
A new clue, uncovered by the site Ford Authority, suggests that Ford’s futuristic revolution will be powered by a ghost from its past. Just days before its big announcement, Ford has filed a new trademark for the name “Ranchero,” specifically for use on “Electric vehicles,” namely “pick-up trucks.”
For Ford, this is a familiar playbook. The company has mastered the art of raiding its own archives, using beloved, gas-guzzling names from its history to sell a radically new electric future. They did it with the Mustang Mach-E, weathering a storm of outrage from purists to turn it into a best-selling electric SUV. They did it again with the F-150 Lightning, attaching their most trusted truck name to their flagship EV pickup. And with the Maverick, they revived another classic name to win over a new generation of buyers.
The Ranchero trademark filing signals that Ford is about to do it again. But this time, the stakes are even higher. The company is promising “breakthrough electric vehicles” made in America. According to reports, Ford is developing a low-cost electric platform meant to underpin a range of future models, starting with a midsize pickup. That strategy could give Ford a weapon in the fight for EV affordability, a challenge even Tesla hasn’t fully solved.
The Ranchero nameplate hasn’t been seen on U.S. roads since 1979, but its history is unlike anything else in Ford’s lineup. Launched in 1957, the original Ranchero blurred the lines between car and truck, offering the comfort and style of a sedan with the practicality of a pickup bed. It quickly found a following among farmers, tradespeople, and California surfers alike.
It competed head-to-head with Chevrolet’s El Camino, part of a wave of so-called “car-truck hybrids” that traced their lineage back to Australian “utes” of the 1930s, multipurpose vehicles that could haul hay bales in the morning and churchgoers in the afternoon.
A “Model T Moment” for the EV Age
Ford is clearly leaning into the symbolism. In the blog post, the company’s heritage team invoked the birth of the Model T, the 1908 car that put the world on wheels by making personal transportation accessible to the masses. Born in secrecy on the third floor of Ford’s Piquette Plant, the Model T was designed to be universal: affordable, repairable, and adaptable for everything from climbing Pike’s Peak to serving as a snowmobile. Ford says it wants to recreate that breakthrough, this time with EVs.
“Now Ford is going back to its roots for another Model T moment,” the company wrote. “Ford leaders will share more about our plans to design and assemble breakthrough electric vehicles in America.”
If the Ranchero is part of that vision, it could bring back the practicality and personality of the car-pickup hybrid for a new generation. This time powered by electrons, not gasoline. And if history is any guide, the electric version of the Ranchero could bridge the gap between work and play in a market where most EV pickups still aim for size and luxury, not versatility and price.
