Henry Ford did not invent the assembly line, but he certainly jump-started a manufacturing revolution by using it to build his cars. To create a new generation of cheap electric vehicles, Ford — the company, not the man — is throwing out this influential innovation.

"This is not a standard factory upgrade," TechCrunch said of Ford's $2 billion plan to "transform" its plant at Louisville to build a new $30,000 mid-sized electric pickup truck. Instead of a "single conveyor line," the revamped process will use a faster "three-branched assembly tree" that has different lines for the vehicle's front, back and battery system, before being united at the end. The new EV "will be produced 15% faster" than traditional vehicles , the company said.

Ford's "complete rethinking" of its longsta

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