Ford's upcoming sub-$30,000 electric pickup has been caught on video for the first time, and the design language leaves little doubt about its family tree. The Autopian chased down an exclusive close-up look at the camouflaged prototype in Long Beach, and the proportions track closely with the Maverick — compact, unibody, and deliberately approachable.The timing matters. Ford developed this truck with a stated goal of hitting a price point well below the F-150 Lightning. Ford also recently acknowledged it was entering public testing. What's now on video suggests that strategy is taking shape — and that the Maverick's formula is very much the blueprint. Smaller Than Expected, Familiar Where It Counts The prototype footage flags a surprise: this truck is genuinely compact. Judging from the video's narration, it looks quite small in person, too. The camouflage wrap obscures detail work, but the overall silhouette reads as a clean electric evolution of the Maverick's unibody proportions: low hood, upright cab, short bed.The Autopian noted the truck was spotted dressed in camo at a Long Beach event tied to Ford's skunkworks EV development program. That program, built quietly on Ford's Universal EV platform, was designed from the ground up to hit a sub-$30,000 price point — something the F-150 Lightning, which starts well above $50,000, has never attempted. Where This Truck Fits In Ford's EV Lineup FordFord currently has a clear gap between the hybrid Maverick — which starts below $30,000 and has been a consistent sales success — and theF-150 Lightning, a full-size electric truck aimed at a premium buyer. A midsize EV pickup slotting between them isn't just logical; it's arguably overdue.The Maverick's hybrid powertrain already made it the default fuel-efficient truck for buyers who didn't want to think too hard about range or charging. An electric sibling built on dedicated EV architecture could extend that appeal to buyers ready to go fully electric, without asking them to absorb Lightning-level pricing. Ford has confirmed the affordable EV truck is on track following earlier development setbacks, and the Long Beach prototype sighting suggests the program has cleared its early hurdles.Find more Ford vehicles in our marketplace Shop With Smart Search What Buyers Caught Between Maverick And Lightning Should Watch 2025-ford-f150-lightning-front-three-quarterFor buyers who've been waiting for a practical, affordable electric truck from a mainstream brand, this prototype is the clearest signal yet that one is coming. The $30,000 target would put it within reach of buyers who stretched for a Maverick hybrid and are now EV-curious — and well below the entry point of every current electric truck on the market.Competition is building. Ram has confirmed plans for a compact pickup to rival the Maverick, and Toyota has been spotted testing a Corolla Cross-based truck prototype in South America. Ford's head start on dedicated EV architecture, combined with the Maverick's established buyer base, gives it a real advantage — if the production version delivers on the price and the proportions the prototype suggests.No official specs or on-sale date have been confirmed. But the video exists, the prototype is real, and the design reads exactly like what Ford's EV strategy has been pointing toward. TopSpeed's Take FordDespite many Americans seeming to turn their backs on EVs, we still seem destined to enter a new era that will win over more customers. We're getting more body styles, more sizes, more brands, and a wider variety of price points — especially toward the low end — that better fit more customers' needs. Meanwhile, the technology (and range) is improving, along with infrastructure, making EVs easier to live with in more parts of the country. Ford has been a pioneer in the electric truck market and has an opportunity to remain one as it shifts toward this new generation of EVs.