Ford’s EV and software chief Doug Field is leaving the company keeps showing up in conversations for a reason. The story below covers what is actually happening, where the trade-offs sit, and what a careful reader should take from it.
Ford is shaking things up as it relates to its EV and software teams. Doug Field, who left Apple five years ago to helm Ford’s multibillion-dollar bet on electric vehicles and software, is stepping down next month. Getting a promotion will be Alan Clarke, the ex-Tesla engineer who now leads Ford’s California-based skunkworks lab. Clarke’s new title will be vice president of advanced development projects, and he will continue to helm the effort to develop Ford’s Universal Electric Vehicle (UEV) Platform.
The shake-up comes less five months after Ford announced a massive $19.5 billion writedown on its EV investment, as well as the discontinuation of several electric models, including the F-150 Lightning pickup truck. The company scrapped plans to build a next-gen electric truck, codenamed T3, and an electric commercial van. Instead, Ford would focus on hybrids as well as its existing lineup of gas-powered trucks and SUVs, as it continues work on its UEV platform, which will eventually underpin a whole family of low-cost EVs, starting with a $30,000 midsize truck in 2027.
Ford also said it was creating a new “end-to-end organization” called Product Creation and Integration, with the aim to leverage its existing vehicle platforms for “digital growth.” The team, which will be led by Ford’s chief operating officer, Kumar Galhotra, will be responsible for scaling the automaker’s vehicles and digital products across the company.
In a briefing with reporters, Ford CEO Jim Farley praised Field for building a strong team that shaped Ford’s high-tech capabilities. Field, for his part, said he hasn’t decided on his next role. When asked whether it was inopportune to leave before the UEV platform goes into production, Field said he was content to “pass the baton” to the company’s industrial and manufacturing team.
“It’s actually quite an opportune time, because I came to Ford to partner with people who know how to industrialize at massive scale,” Field said. “The product has reached a level of maturity where I am completely dependent on the experts at Ford—those who know how to bring it to a factory like Kentucky, run it at high volume, build it with the highest quality, and keep it affordable. That is really why this transition point is an opportune time for me to pass the baton and pass the torch.”
“That is really why this transition point is an opportune time for me to pass the baton and pass the torch.”
— Doug Field
Farley outlined several upcoming changes at Ford, including plans to refresh 80 percent of its North American vehicle portfolio and 70 percent of its global portfolio by 2029. These updates will include new electric architectures, enhanced interior experiences, higher levels of automation, and a new generation of integrated services and software products, he said. By the end of the decade, 90 percent of Ford’s vehicles will feature entirely new electric architectures, including zonal and partially zonal systems.
The loss of Field is the latest setback to Ford’s yearslong quest to transform its vehicles from analog gas-guzzlers to sleek, digitally sophisticated electric vehicles. At the time of his hire, the only car company with a snappy, seamless, and satisfying software experience was Tesla. Legacy automakers like Ford could only look on with envy as Elon Musk’s company pushed out monthly over-the-air updates that amazed and delighted its many customers. Ford wanted that too, and so it hired Field to lead the effort. In addition to heading Apple’s secretive car project, Field also served as chief engineer at Tesla overseeing the Model 3’s design.
During Field’s tenure, Ford rolled out a number of new features, including its popular and highly rated BlueCruise hands-free driver-assist system. The Ford Digital Experience, the new Android-powered infotainment system that enhances rather than blocks smartphone mirroring, was introduced. And the automaker launched its skunkworks project to design its next-gen EV.
Still, there were some setbacks. Ford scrapped its high-cost next-generation electrical architecture, also known as FNV4 (for fully networked vehicle). The platform was costly, contributing to a $5 billion loss on EVs and software in 2024, but also a key effort to update and improve Ford’s software experience. At the time, Field said it was more cost-effective to adapt Ford’s third-generation architecture — FNV3, now rebranded as FNV3.X — to the full range of the lineup, rather than build a new platform with a more limited application.
This isn’t the first time Ford has looked to organizational changes to improve its financial situation. In 2022, the automaker divided its entire business into two separate entities: one focused on electric vehicles called Model e, and another called Ford Blue focused on gas-powered trucks and SUVs.
Correction, April 15th: A previous version misstated Alan Clarke’s promotion. He is not replacing Doug Field as chief officer of EVs, digital, and design, but stepping into a new role of vice president for advanced development projects.
