Ford Motor Company has not been shy about its commitment to the pursuit of adding electric vehicles to their line-up, announcing last year that the company is investing $11.5 billion towards electrification. Part of this multi-billion dollar investment was aimed at Michigan-based startup electric pickup truck and SUV automaker Rivian, which received $500 million from the Blue Oval. The two automakers announced last year that a collaborative vehicle was destined to hit the market, which many believed would come by way of the electric Ford F-150. Rivian has just announced however that the first project actually involves building a Lincoln EV.
Officially, Lincoln and Rivian will be working together to develop an all-new electric vehicle, underpinned by Rivian’s proprietary skateboard platform. The vehicle will be in the SUV space, and will represent Lincoln’s first foray into the electric car market.
Electric powertrains inside of luxury vehicles actually make a lot of sense. The effortless power delivery of an electric motor, combined with the lack of harshness and vibrations that are present in even the smoothest of gas-powered engines makes for a more refined driving experience. The Rivian skateboard platform could then make a Lincoln EV the most luxurious model available in the line-up, thanks to its ultra-quiet drivetrain.
At this time there is no further information available pertaining to production, but we are sure that there will be plenty more news to come about the first ever Lincoln EV. This may be the first project to come out of Ford-Rivian relationship, but it is unlikely that it will be the last. With both companies slated to release an electric pickup of their own in the near future, as well as fully electric SUVs, it makes one wonder if this Lincoln EV could help Ford and Rivian carve out a corner of the electric market.
For what it’s worth, we don’t expect the Lincoln to take the positioning of a go-anywhere electric SUV like the R1S, pictured below, but it may end up beating Cadillac to market.
