Toronto, Ontario — Ford’s engineering department is working towards what could be a significant cost-cutting measure for the automaker, as a recent patent filing dug up by Ford Authority shows a design for a one-size-fits-all configurable frame for use on future vehicles.
The patent design, which was filed on Nov. 23, 2022 and published last Thursday, illustrates a single vehicle frame where individual components, such as batteries, motors, suspension, and wheels could be swapped out and rearranged to suit the requirements of various Ford models and trims.
The common consensus among Ford observers is that this sort of modular frame design will, if effective, offer the company significant savings in assembly, as well as potentially contribute to the streamlining of repairability for future Ford vehicles.
The “configurable vehicle frames and associated methods” patent is currently filed in the U.S. under serial number 0088224.
