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Finding the Spark at Long Beach’s New Electric Vehicle Campus

Aug 05, 2025

First introduced to the public as a “skunkworks” operation, the Ford team charged with developing advanced electric vehicles has grown its footprint with a new, two-building campus in Long Beach, California – and is working closely with its partners in Dearborn and Palo Alto to deliver on the company’s mission.

Originally, this facility was built 95 years ago to expand production of the Model A before being converted into an Army depot during World War II. The Long Beach campus now becomes Ford’s main design and innovation hub in Southern California. We asked Ann Diep, a senior technical program manager, to give us a peek inside the space and the team.


I never planned on building cars. I studied bioengineering and minored in biochemistry at UCLA, thinking I’d have a future in pharmaceuticals. Then, I ended up spending the better part of a decade launching consumer electronics at Apple.

As many can attest, career paths often take unpredictable turns. Currently, I find myself working in a sunlit, repurposed aviation facility in Long Beach, California, contributing to the development of Ford's next generation of electric vehicles. This opportunity, while unforeseen, feels like a natural progression in my professional journey.

Inspired by the Model T

As part of the team here at the Electric Vehicle Development Center, we’ve been given an ambitious goal: Develop a new generation of advanced electric vehicles people are going to love. If my time in consumer electronics taught me anything, it’s to obsess over the user and create things that are really approachable. You don’t need to be a tech expert to use a smartphone — that’s the ethos guiding me.

Interestingly, we have talked a lot about the Model T, which itself marked an inflection point between innovation and affordability. Just like that milestone vehicle, we aim for simplification, making things work well without overcomplicating them. Easy to understand, yet sparking that same kind of thrill you get when “unboxing” a new gadget.


Ann Diep is a senior technical program manager at Ford.