While the truck EV market is just emerging, Ford is seizing the opportunity to increase the production of its F-150 Lightning EV trucks to 150,000 vehicles per year by 2023.
The news was announced as the automaker plans to commence the making and shipping of its new EV truck in the first half of the year.
Production of both the F-150 Lightning and F-150 Lightning Pro for commercial customers has entered its final pre-build stage this week at the company’s Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan. Deliveries of the first trucks are expected to start in the spring.
There has been no actuality in the number of F-150 Lightning planned to be made – at least in its first few years.
- Advertisement -
Initially, the company said it was targeting 40,000 units each year but then told suppliers it would crank its capacity up to 80,000 by early 2023, according to Automotive News.
But once again, Ford has changed decided to raise the bar all the way to 150,000 trucks by mid-2023 according to the company’s spokesperson.
As for the number of EV trucks, it planned to make this year, there’s nothing officially announced just yet.
Elsewhere, the company also planned to triple the production of its Mustang Mach-E with the expectation that it will reach over 200,000 units per year by 2023.
Ford’s electric delivery van, the E-Transit, also goes on sale early this year.
By Jan. 6th, first-reservation holders will be able to select the options and trim levels for their trucks and the company is using a “wave-by-wave reservation process” to inform its customers when they can customize their EV trucks.
After receiving about 200,000 refundable US$100 deposits for the F-150 Lightning EV truck, the American automaker has stopped taking reservations as the EV truck.
The base price of the F-150 Lightning is US$39,974 but the price can quickly increase depending on the trim and customizations.
According to a report, some Ford dealers are said to be taking advantage of strong demand for the EV truck by marking up the price by as much as US$30,000.
Speaking of the base model, it’s expected to offer about 230 miles of range and has a more bare-bones interior such as a 12-inch landscape touchscreen display to control the truck.
But if you’re willing to pay a premium price, you can get a variant with a bigger 15.5-inch vertical display that is used in the Mustang Mach-E as well as an extended range battery option that can reach about 300 miles.
Towing capacity ranges between 7,700 and 10,000 pounds, depending on the configuration.
Ford isn’t the only one currently on the EV truck market as other brands such as Rivian and GMC have already started the shipping of their EV trucks.
Tesla on the other hand with its long-promised Cybertruck that was revealed back in 2019 is said to have been pushed to next year as the CEO, Elon Musk said they will not be made in large quantity until 2023.
