Ford reveals radical EV production plan in the US
Demand for the 2022 150 Lightning pick up truck (above) has seen Ford push its EV production. Images: Ford
Ford will spend US$11.4 billion in building the "largest, most advanced, most efficient auto production complex in its 118-year history", it said in a statement.
The US motoring giant claims that it's the largest single investment in electric vehicles by any American manufacturer.
As part of a drive to scale up its US-market EV offering, Ford will build two new dedicated "mega-sites".
The new $5.6bn (NZ$8b) Blue Oval City (above) in Stanton, Tennessee, will become a factory for electric F-Series pick-up trucks, a battery-manufacturing facility, and an on-site recycling and supplier network.
Ford says it will create 6000 new jobs and will be carbon-neutral. It will be one of the largest vehicle production sites in the US at 1455 hectares and will be powered by solar and wind power and using always-on cloud-based technology to improve quality and productivity levels.
Ford and its new technical partner SK Innovation will invest some $5.8bn (NZ$8.3b) in a battery factory in Kentucky, called the Blue Oval SK Battery Park (below). It will employ 5000 people across two separate plants that will build power units for Ford and Lincoln EVs.
“This is a transformative moment where Ford will lead America’s transition to electric vehicles and usher in a new era of clean, carbon-neutral manufacturing,” said Ford Executive Chair Bill Ford.
“With this investment and a spirit of innovation, we can achieve goals once thought mutually exclusive – protect our planet, build great electric vehicles Americans will love and contribute to our nation’s prosperity.”
This news comes amid strong demand for the all-new Ford F-150 Lightning truck, E-Transit and Mustang Mach-E electric vehicles, and is on top of Ford’s recent announcement to expand production capacity and add jobs at the Ford Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan.
