BlueOval City the 'blueprint' for Ford's EV future. Here's where the TN project stands.

Eighteen months after BlueOval City's announcement, the project represents the opportunity for generational economic change in West Tennessee and the blueprint for Ford Motor Co.'s electric vehicle future.

Ford officials are confident BlueOval City will further establish the company's place in the EV world as it seeks to compete with rival Tesla. The thousands of new jobs and a chance to be part of the project remain attractive to many in West Tennessee and nationwide.

Construction remains on track for BlueOval City — a $5.6 billion investment by Ford and joint venture partner South Korean company SK On — to begin production in 2025.

The future electric vehicle and battery manufacturing in Haywood County will be home to Ford’s second-generation electric truck — code-named Project T3 — and capable of producing 500,000 EV trucks a year at full production.

“BlueOval City is the blueprint for Ford’s electric future around the world,” said Bill Ford, Ford’s executive chair, in a statement. “We will build revolutionary electric vehicles at an advanced manufacturing site that works in harmony with the planet, aligning business growth and innovation with environmental progress.”

Ford offered updates about the project during a special ceremony on-site Friday morning in Stanton — the first time members of the public could access the site since the project’s announcement in September 2021. The event occurred a little more than one year after land leveling began on site.

Ford and SK On plan to create approximately 5,800 new jobs at BlueOval City. Detroit-based company Walbridge is the general contractor on BlueOval City and is overseeing construction.

“Ford’s decision to bring BlueOval City to West Tennessee is a testament to our state’s skilled workforce and leading role in the future of American automotive manufacturing,” Gov. Bill Lee said. “With the single largest investment in state history, this historic project brings thousands of jobs and new opportunities for Tennessee families to thrive. I thank the local leaders and legislators who made this day possible and look forward to BlueOval City’s long-term success in West Tennessee.”

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At Friday's ceremony, Lee said he had spent a lot of time driving through rural West Tennessee to visit family.

"Never in my life did I anticipate that there would be this happening in rural West Tennessee. Welcome to one of the most exciting days celebrating one of the most exciting events in this region," he said.

While almost 6,000 jobs will be directly created by Ford at the site, the state estimated an additional 24,000 new jobs would be created in West Tennessee to support BlueOval. Those 30,000 jobs are estimated to result in annual earnings of more than $1 billion. The state also estimated the project would add $3.5 billion annually to the gross state product.

Ford also plans to launch a comprehensive education and training effort called BlueOval Learning to prepare future employees at the site. Ford — currently No. 2 in the EV industry — hopes BlueOval City can eventually play a key role in dethroning Tesla. The Michigan-based auto giant is targeting a production run rate of 2 million EVs annually across the globe by late 2026.

“Project T3 is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to revolutionize America’s truck. We are melding 100 years of Ford truck know-how with world-class electric vehicle, software and aerodynamics talent. It will be a platform for endless innovation and capability,” said Jim Farley, Ford president and CEO, in a statement.

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Ford’s Project T3 will be the company’s second-generation electric truck following the Ford F-150 Lightning.

Ford is touting the efficiency with which the Project T3 — short for “Trust the Truck” — will be produced noting a future 30% smaller general assembly footprint than traditional plants while delivering higher production capacity. The company also plans to deliver capability and innovation from previous Ford trucks with a fraction of the complexity from prior programs.

“The team’s single guiding principle has been to create a truck people can trust in the digital age — one that’s fully updatable, constantly improving, and supports towing, hauling, exportable power and endless new innovations owners will want,” Ford said about the Project T3 team in the news release.

Farley said the trucks would be different from the ones the company has made before, but would still do everything the user wanted it to and more. He said the truck would learn from its user and improve constantly and that daily software updates would be sent from the Ford team to make the vehicle better every day.

"It will be like no other truck you've ever seen or driven. It is going to be fast and quiet. And, yes, it'll be smooth as Tennessee whiskey," he said.

Ford also plans for the assembly plant to use carbon-free electricity from the day it opens. The campus will have a new utility system that saves 50 million gallons of water each year by reducing evaporation from the site’s cooling towers. Farley also said no waste from the plant would end up in landfills.

The battery manufacturing site’s team at BlueOval SK will build battery cells and assemble battery packs that will be delivered just across the site into the assembly plant, in less than 30 minutes.

"In many ways, this plan is the capstone of the mission to transform a whole company," Farley said.

BlueOval City will also have an on-site Lowe’s store during construction supplying building materials, two construction equipment rental companies and three concrete batch plants.

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BlueOval Learning to train future workers at site

Two of the biggest questions since the project’s announcement focus on whether the region has a workforce ready for BlueOval City jobs and what initiatives will be created to help train those interested in them.

Ford is launching BlueOval Learning, a talent development program that will strengthen skills, provide teacher support and increase work-based learning experiences.

That includes Ford supporting K-12 schools and universities to expand existing STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) curricula and infrastructure.

Ford also plans to provide mechatronics training equipment and program development for schools in Haywood, Tipton and Lauderdale counties. The auto giant will help to expand certifications and dual-enrollment opportunities for students.

Ford plans to collaborate with higher education institutions to provide training on advanced manufacturing, EVs and battery manufacturing and develop work-based learning such as co-ops and internships.

This is in addition to a new $40 million Tennessee of College Applied Technology campus adjacent to the Haywood County project off Exit 42 on Interstate 40 to help train future BlueOval City workers.

A BlueOval SK spokesperson previously confirmed to The Commercial Appeal hiring for the battery plant will begin in the last half of 2023 and continue through 2026. About 2,500 of the 5,800 workers are expected to be at BlueOval SK, with 3,300 employed at the Electric Vehicle Center.

“BlueOval City will be transformational for our state, and the work done in West Tennessee will have an impacton the global automotive industry,” said Stuart McWhorter, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. “We are proud to partner with Ford and SK On and thank them for their significant investment and pledge to educate and train the workforce of tomorrow.”

On Friday, he said the impact of the plant was already being felt in West Tennessee, years before the first vehicles roll off the assembly line.

Farley said his own family's future was changed when his grandfather got a job at a Ford factory. He said he believes BlueOval City will create that same opportunity for others.

"It's a lot more than just a truck, though. It's a source of high-tech education, great careers, community investment here in West Tennessee," he added.

Lee said the opportunities the jobs at BlueOval City would create would also change thousands of Tennessee families for generations.

"We know that meaningful work brings dignity and it brings hope and it brings opportunity. So more than anything else today is a new beginning with new opportunities," the governor said. "Ford chose our state not just because of our economy and taxes and low regulation, but because they believe in the people of Tennessee."

Omer Yusuf covers the Ford project in Haywood County, FedEx, tourism and banking for The Commercial Appeal. He can be reached via email Omer.Yusuf@commercialappeal.com or followed on Twitter @OmerAYusuf.

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Ford in Tennessee: What we know about new EV truck, construction