Ford lays founding stone to produce the F-150
Ford has now officially laid the foundation stone for a new facility next to its truck plant in Dearborn, Michigan, to produce the electric version of the F-150 pickup truck from mid-2022. A hybrid version of the pickup truck will also be produced there.
On the occasion of the foundation stone ceremony, The US automaker also revealed some more details about the electric F-150. For example, it will be equipped with two electric motors, which will deliver more power and torque than any F-150 available today, and the ability to pull heavy trailers. A large front trunk on the electric F-150 adds more cargo-carrying versatility and security to help protect and move valuable items. Like the rest of the all-new F-150 lineup, the electric F-150 will be continuously upgraded over time with fast over-the-air updates.
The US-American carmaker has also introduced an innovative and useful feature: With the electric F-150, Ford will debut a new mobile power generation technology with Pro Power Onboard, which will allow customers to use the pickup truck as a power source when needed. This enables drivers to use the vehicle for power for at campsites and construction sites. In times of extreme weather and grid outages, this can of course also be used as an interim power source.
The hybrid version of the F-150 comes with Ford’s new 3.5-litre PowerBoost hybrid powertrain. Ford presented the new edition of its US customer F-150 in June this year. Further details of the fully electric version and prices for the F-150 have yet to be revealed.
On matters of money, however, Ford underlines that the electric pick-up truck offers the lowest expected lifetime total cost of operation among F-Series trucks since electric vehicles require significantly less maintenance than a gasoline engine. Ford calculates this as bringing owners more than 40 per cent savings for its lifetime total cost of operation.
“The critical launch of the all-new F-150 is now underway — on time and with the Built Ford Tough quality our customers demand to get the job done,” said Jim Farley, Ford’s chief operating officer and incoming CEO. “F-Series pickups are the backbone of work and productivity across the country. And now we are preparing to build a fully electric version of America’s most popular vehicle, and it will be a seriously capable, purpose-built tool for serious truck customers.”
Ford pulls no punches when talking about the importance of its pickup series to the company, saying that of the more than two million full-sized pickup trucks assembled in the US last year, Ford assembled nearly half – twice as many as any other automaker. What this also means, is that pick-up sales are the core of the company’s fiscal existence. A study by the Boston Consulting Group cited in the report notes that in 2019, sales of almost 900,000 F-Series pickups will be made in the USA, with associated sales of around 42 billion US dollars. Ford generates the majority of its profits from these vehicles.
Accordingly, the US vehicle maker has been investing in its electric future. Ford announced factory investments of around 700 million US dollars in December last year. The new manufacturing centre at the Dearborn-based Rouge Center, once complete, will add 300 jobs and is part of the investment in building the F-150 lineup. Ford says that the new jobs will support battery assembly and production of the F-150 PowerBoost hybrid and fully electric F-150.
“We are proud to once again build and innovate for the future here at the Rouge with the debut of our all-new F-150 and the construction of a modern new manufacturing centre to build the first-ever all-electric F-150,” said Bill Ford, executive chairman, Ford Motor Company. “This year’s COVID-19 crisis made it clear why it is so important for companies like Ford to help keep our U.S. manufacturing base strong and help our country get back to work.”
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