Ford juices production of its electric truck
STORY: “We plan to challenge Tesla and all comers to become the top EV maker in the world.”
Ford Motor Company CEO Jim Farley set the bar high on Tuesday...as the automaker kicked off the manufacturing of its F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck
Ford workers, top executives and a group of F-150 Lightning customers joined a party at Ford's Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan…
where the automaker aims to build 150,000 Lightning trucks annually – more than tripling planned production .
This, while Ford builds a much larger electric vehicle production complex in Tennessee that will open in 2025.
Executive Chair Bill Ford:
“We were the first company to bring automobiles to everybody. Now we're the first company to build electric trucks for everybody way ahead of anyone else. Lightning is the only all electric truck that's built Ford tough, built for America and built right here.”
Initially, Ford had planned to build just 40,000 Lightning trucks annually, but surging demand for electric vehicles prompted the company to increase output goals twice since last August.
Rivals GM and Ford are pursuing different strategies in the electric pickup market.
Ford re-engineered its current F-150 to install batteries, a cargo-carrying front trunk and enough electrical outlets to power a home or a construction site.
While GM spent more time designing its electric Silverado from the wheels up…
But the Lightning has the benefit of being ready now...
Farley said the Lightning will hit showrooms "in a couple days’…
and taking a dig at competitors from Tesla to General Motors , he added that the Lightning will cost
"thousands of dollars less than our competitors' trucks -- whenever they actually go on sale."
