Ford Motor Company has inaugurated a sprawling two-building Electric Vehicle Development Center (EVDC) in Long Beach, California, transforming a 95-year-old facility — once used to build the Model A and later as a World War II Army depot — into its primary Southern California hub for advanced EV design and innovation.
The 250,000-square-foot campus houses a state-of-the-art design studio with a digital visualization room, milling and fabrication shops, and cutting-edge electric vehicle testing labs. An outdoor design review courtyard encourages cross-disciplinary collaboration among teams working on battery systems, software, thermal management, and product concepts.
Ann Diep, senior technical program manager at Ford, said the goal is to create the “next generation of advanced electric vehicles people are going to love,” drawing parallels to the transformative Model T era. “Our guiding principles are simplicity, efficiency, and the desire to spark excitement,” Diep noted, highlighting the synergy between Ford’s established automotive expertise and the agility of tech industry talent.
The new campus’ open, collaborative layout is designed to foster spontaneous idea-sharing, supported by Ford teams in Dearborn, Michigan, and Palo Alto, California.
