Ford Breaks Ground on Electric F-150 Plant

Ford celebrated the production start of the all-new F-150 at the Ford Rouge Center and confirmed construction of the new Rouge Electric Vehicle Center where it will build the all-electric F-150 by mid-2022.

The new manufacturing center at the Dearborn-based Rouge Center, once complete, will add 300 jobs and is part of a $700 million investment in building the all-new F-150 lineup, including the first-ever F-150 PowerBoost hybrid. The new jobs will support battery assembly and production of the F-150 PowerBoost hybrid and fully electric F-150.Including investments for Bronco and Ranger at the Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Mich., announced last year, Ford plans to invest more than $1.45 billion and create approximately 3,000 jobs over the next three years in Michigan alone.           

“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 center 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.” 

A newly released study from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) found F-Series, America’s best-selling truck since 1977, is among the most valuable consumer goods in America and a key employment driver. Among the specific findings:

• Up to 14 American jobs are supported by each direct Ford F-Series employee. This equates to about 500,000 total jobs attributable to Ford’s F-Series alone.
• Overall, Ford supports 1 million American jobs.
• Of the more than 2 million full-sized pickup trucks assembled in the U.S. last year, Ford assembled nearly half – twice as many as any other automaker.
• The best-selling F-Series contributed nearly $50 billion to the U.S. GDP.
• The F-Series franchise alone generates more revenue than major companies such as McDonalds, Nike, Coca-Cola, Visa, and Netflix.

The all-new F-150 raises the standard for all light-duty trucks. It targets the most towing and payload of any light-duty full-size pickup; introduces all-new features to increase customer productivity; features new connected vehicle innovations such as over-the-air updates that help keep F-150 at the forefront of technology; and offers an available all-new 3.5L PowerBoost hybrid powertrain with Pro Power Onboard – an integrated power generator.

“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.”  

The electric F-150, which is undergoing tens of thousands of hours of torture testing and targeting millions of simulated, laboratory and real world test miles, will be more powerful than any F-150 available today and deliver commercial and personal customers the lowest expected lifetime total cost of operation among F-Series trucks. Additionally:

• Ford will debut new technology on the electric F-150 that allows mobile power generation so customers can use their trucks as a power source for places from campsites to jobsites when needed  
• The all-electric F-150 will feature dual electric motors targeted to deliver more horsepower and torque than any F-150 available today, the fastest acceleration, and the ability to tow heavy trailers
• Electric vehicles including the electric F-150 require significantly less maintenance than a typical gasoline engine, creating more than 40 percent savings for its lifetime total cost of operation
• A giant front trunk on the electric F-150 adds even 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 continuously improve over time with fast over-the-air updates

Ford also debuted its "Built for America" brand campaign this week. Learn more in the video below: 

Originally posted on Work Truck Online