Ford Chief Executive Jim Farley humbly acknowledged Elon Musk’s help to accelerate the advancement of the electric vehicle industry.
For context, Tesla recently shared its 48-volt architecture innovation with CEOs of its rival automotive brands. The list includes the long-time Tesla challenger, Ford.
CEO Farley confirmed Thursday that he received the free 48-volt architecture document from Tesla.
“They weren’t joking. We received the document today, dated Dec. 5th. Thanks, @ElonMusk. Great for the industry!”
Ford CEO Jim Farley
Tesla Chief Elon Musk responded, “You’re welcome.”
Tesla sends rivals free guide to 48-volt architecture
Torque News reported Tesla’s commendable move to send a free guide on electric vehicles’ 48-volt architecture to its rivals.
It essentially proves the Musk-led company’s dedication to facilitating the wider shift to sustainable and advanced automotive technology.
Tesla’s Cybertruck employs the innovative 48-volt architecture, a significant leap from the 12-volt architecture that has been the industry’s standard for 70 years.
For context, the “architecture” is basically the vehicle’s electrical wiring that powers everything from windows to mobile phone chargers.
What’s special about the 48-volt architecture?
The 12-volt architecture has become bigger, heavier, and harder to compensate for amid the rapid advancement of car technology, increasing the need for the industry to adopt the 48-volt architecture.
In addition, modern EVs have numerous wiring, and adopting a 48-volt architecture lowers that complexity. It also features steer-by-wire technology, which indirectly links the steering wheel and the front wheels.
Through this, steering wheel commands go through the wiring to the electric motors, which control the wheels. This innovative approach enables equipped vehicles like Cybertruck to turn all four wheels simultaneously. In addition, it also lowers production costs without compromising efficiency.
Benefits
The Street noted that the 48-volt architecture can accommodate higher electric loads efficiently to facilitate a less complex system, which leads to a superior higher electric load management without increasing the vehicle’s weight.
Munro & Associates Founder Sandy Munro previously stated in an Autoline Daily interview that “everybody has been talking about doing this for 30 years, but (Tesla) did it.”
Tesla’s move can significantly speed up the industry’s shift to a more advanced electric vehicle architecture.
Tesla cannot possibly produce hundreds of millions of EVs alone to support the global shift. That said, it is only wise to let other automakers contribute and get them faster.
