Ford Motor Begins Pre-production of the F-150 Lightning and is Boosting its Investment Due to Strong Demand
【Summary】Based on the number of reservations Ford Motor Co received for the upcoming F-150 Lightning, the automaker is boosting its investment and increasing production to meet demand. The bigger investment will help increase production capacity of the electric Lightning to 80,000 trucks a year.

The gas-powered F-150 pickup from Ford Motor Co has been the best selling pickup truck in the U.S. for over 40 years, so the fully electric version has the potential to be a big seller. Based on the number of reservations the automaker received for the upcoming F-150 Lightning, the company is boosting its investments and increasing production to meet demand.
On Thursday, Ford announced its investing an additional $250 million and adding 450 more jobs at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center, Van Dyke Electric Powertrain Center and Rawsonville Components Plant, where the F-150 Lightning and its components are being built.
Most of the 450 new jobs will be for assembling the F-150 Lightning at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center. Workers at Ford's Rawsonville Components Plant will assemble the Lightning's batteries while the Van Dyke Electric Powertrain Center will increase its capacity to supply electric motors and electric transaxles for the F-150 Lightning, Ford announced.
The bigger investment will help increase production capacity of the F-150 Lightning to 80,000 trucks a year, as well as adding hundreds of new manufacturing jobs.
"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. So we are doubling down, adding jobs and investment to increase production," said Bill Ford, executive chair, Ford Motor Company. "This truck and the Ford-UAW workers who are assembling it in Michigan have a chance to make history and lead the electric vehicle movement in America."
Ford has received more than 150,000 reservations for the F-150 Lightning to date, that's up another 20,000 from the 130,000 reservations Ford reported earlier this month.
The F-150 Lightning has a starting MSRP of $40,000 and targeted EPA-estimated driving range of 300 miles equipped with the optional extended range battery.
For the sub $40,000 price, the F-150 Lightning Pro will come with a dual motor setup and 4-wheel-drive. Ford is targeting 426 horsepower and 775 lb-ft. of torque. The standard range battery will deliver 230 miles of range, which Ford says is enough for a majority of its commercial customers that will use it for work.
Ford announced last year it would make the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Mich. its electric vehicle factory and home to F-150 Lightning production. Ford broke ground on the factory in Sept 2020. The factory is part of Ford's initial $700 million investment in the historic Ford Rouge Center.
The Rogue Electric Vehicle Center uses natural lighting, as well as LED lighting to reduce Ford's carbon footprint. Even the primary forklift fleet for the facility will use hydrogen fuel cells with a zero-emission profile, according to Ford. The Rouge Electric Vehicle Center is built on the site of the old Dearborn Assembly Plant.
"We're standing on the edge of an era of electrification that will be built in factories like this one by hardworking UAW members and the innovative minds at Ford," said Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer.
Ford also announced that the first pre-production F-150 Lightning trucks are now leaving the factory for real-world testing. The first batch of trucks will be available to reservations holders next spring.
"Electrifying the F-Series – America's best-selling truck for 44 years – and assembling it at this high-tech facility in Michigan – represents a significant step toward mass adoption of electric vehicles in America," said Kumar Galhotra, Ford's president of The Americas and International Markets Group.
Ford has invested $7.7 billion in the state of Michigan and created and retained 7,000 Michigan jobs since 2016, including the development and production of the new Bronco SUV and Ranger pickup.
With the growing number of reservations for the F-150 Lightning, customers that put their reservations in later might have to wait until 2024 for their pickups to be delivered. That's of course the F-150 Lightning isn't affected by any production issues, such as the global chip shortage that's impacting auto production around the world.
-
Ford is Testing a New Robotic Charging Station to Assist Drivers of EVs With Disabilities
-
Ford Raises the Prices of the F-150 Lightning Electric Pickup Due to Rising Raw Material Costs
-
The BMW 7-Series to Feature HD Live Maps From HERE Technologies for Hands-Free Highway Driving in North America at Speeds up to 80 MPH
-
AutoX to Use the 'Eyeonic Vision Sensor' from California-based SiLC Technologies for its Robotaxi Fleet in China
-
LG Develops ‘Invisible’ Speaker Sound Technology That Could Revolutionize In-Vehicle Audio
-
Researchers at South Korea’s Chung-Ang University Develop a ‘Meta-Reinforcement’ Machine Learning Algorithm for Traffic Lights to Improve Vehicle Throughput
-
Zeekr’s New 009 Electric Passenger Van is the World’s First EV to Feature CATL’s Advanced ‘Qilin’ Battery With a Range of 510 Miles
-
Redwood Materials is Building an Electric Vehicle Battery Recycling Facility in South Carolina
- Valeo Signs Major Deal with BMW to Supply Advanced Driver Assist Hardware for the Automaker's Forthcoming 'Neue Klasse' EV Platform
- Nexar Releases its ‘Driver Behavioral Map Data’ That Can Help Autonomous Vehicles Operate More Like Human Drivers
- Polestar Shares the First Image of the Polestar 3 Electric SUV Ahead of its October Debut
- BorgWarner Invests $500 Million in Wolfspeed Inc, a Developer of Semiconductors and Silicon Carbide Devices for Electric Vehicles
- China Has Installed Around 4.7 Million Electric Vehicle Charging Poles as of October 2022
- EV Startup Fisker Inc. Hires BMW Exec as Senior VP of Manufacturing, Aims to Build One Million EVs a Year by 2027
- Good Time to Buy Into China's EV Industry
- New Premium Electric Vehicle Brand Zeekr Is Exploring IPO Options in the U.S. or Hong Kong, According to Sources
- Toyota’s Redesigned Prius May Get More Drivers Behind the Wheel of a Hybrid Vehicle
- High Gas Prices Aren’t Enough to Sway Consumers to EVs, Autolist Survey Finds