In the race to bring an electric pickup to the market, Ford has decided to take the pedal to the metal. The company announced yesterday that the first preproduction versions of its F-150 Lightning electric pickup have been assembled. The units originated at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center plant in Michigan.
The delivery of the first production versions is due next spring.
In connection with the announcement, Ford announced additional investments it is making in three of its Michigan plants so that it can increase the production capacity of the F-150 Lightning. To date, the company says it has received more than 150,000 reservations for the model.
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In all, Ford says it will create 450 new jobs with investments of $ 250 million. These will see the light of day at the aforementioned red plant, the Van Dyke Electric Powertrain Center and the Rawsonville components plant. Ford explains that this reorganization and this new investment will allow it to produce 80,000 units of the model per year.
“We knew the F-150 Lightning was special, but the interest from the public has surpassed our highest expectations and changed the conversation around electric vehicles," says Bill Ford, executive chairman of Ford. "So we are doubling down, adding jobs and investment to increase production."
Among the images provided by the company, of course, we see models on the assembly line, but also test versions on the company circuits. The production of the Rivian Group’s first electric pickup earlier this week was certainly not unrelated to Ford’s announced ramp-up, although the latter was likely in the plans.
