Ford Begins Production of Electric F-150 Lightning

DEARBORN, Mich. — The Ford Motor Co. announced it’s begun production of the F-150 Lightning full-size electric pickup.

The Lightning is built at Ford’s Rogue Electric Vehicle Center and has a starting price of less than $40,000, according to a press release. Thus far, the company boasts 200,000 reservations for the EV – three-quarters of whom do not currently own or lease a Ford vehicle – and is expanding the Rogue Electric Vehicle Center to ramp up production to a planned annual run rate of 150,000 in 2023. Ford has invested a total of $950 million and created 750 jobs at the center.

“Today we celebrate the Model T moment for the 21st Century at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center,” said Ford Executive Chair Bill Ford. “The Rouge is where Ford perfected the moving assembly line, making it a fitting backdrop as we make history again. The stunning anticipation for F-150 Lightning is a credit to the work of our Ford engineers and designers, and the UAW team members who are building these trucks with pride.”

Ford’s investment in Michigan for the F-150 Lightning totals more than $1 billion, with 1,700 recently created jobs spread among five Ford plants in the state, including Van Dyke Electric Powertrain Center, where Lightning electric motors and electric transaxles are assembled, and Rawsonville Components Plant, where Lightning batteries are assembled.

“America’s real transition to electric vehicles starts now,” said Ford President and CEO Jim Farley. “F-150 Lightning is just the beginning of our ambitions for growth and leadership in digital, electric vehicles. We continue to expand our EV manufacturing footprint across the U.S., including the start of site preparation at BlueOval City, which will enable us to meet the ever-increasing customer demand for our exciting EV line-up.”

The F-150 Lightning Pro is the first electric F-Series truck purpose-built specifically for commercial customers. It accelerates from zero to 60 mph in the mid-four-second range with the extended-range battery, and boasts 775 lbs.-foot of torque, according to the release.

Ford is on track to deliver more than two-million electric vehicles annually by 2026, equal to about one-third of the company’s global volume, on the way to 50% by 2030, according to the release. Ford announced its intention to build the Rogue Electric Vehicle Center in September 2020.

The center is the first Ford plant without traditional in-floor conveyor lines and instead uses robotic Autonomous Guided Vehicles to move F-150 Lightning trucks from workstation to station in the plant, benefiting the plant’s production output, quality checks and custom work, according to the release.

None of the material generated as a by-product of the manufacturing process will go to landfills, the company states. Ford intends to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, and to use 100% local, renewable electricity in all of its manufacturing operations by 2035, according to the release.

Source: Ford Motor Co.

Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.