Ford is boosting annual output for the F-150 Lightning at Rouge Electric Vehicle Center
Photo: Ford
2022 was already shaping up to be the year of the Ford F-150 Lightning as it was, but now there’s even more to go around — literally. Ford announced Tuesday that it will increase annual production capacity for the F-150 Lightning to 150,000 trucks per year, nearly doubling the current volume.
What’s the Buzz About? Get a taste of everything that makes the F-150 Lightning a hit
This big boost comes as a result of, well, just insane demand. Since its reveal last May, folks have been hot to trot for Ford’s first electric truck. Within a month of the Lightning’s debut, reservations rocketed past 100,000.
By the time Ford had to cut off reservations near the end of December, that number had climbed to nearly 200,000. That’s so nuts you’d need Harlan Pepper to list ’em all.
“With nearly 200,000 reservations, our teams are working hard and creatively to break production constraints to get more F-150 Lightning trucks into the hands of our customers,” said Kumar Galhotra, president of The Americas & International Markets Group, Ford Motor Company.
Ford announced a $250 million investment in its Rouge Electric Vehicle Center, Van Dyke Electric Powertrain Center, and Rawsonville Components Plant last fall to help scale up production of the F-150 Lightning. That brought production capacity to 80,000 trucks a year, but the, again, insane demand for the F-150 Lightning necessitated yet another big upgrade.
To help make this move possible, Ford has gathered a team of company leaders in areas ranging from manufacturing to purchasing to product development. This task force is working together to find ways to help Ford scale production of the F-150 Lightning so that it can catch up to its overwhelming popularity.
Ford is also working with its major suppliers and the teams at Van Dyke and Rawsonville to ensure that there are enough EV parts to match the production increase. Ford’s EV production will eventually get a huge boost from Blue Oval City in Tennessee and BlueOvalSK Battery Park in Kentucky. These facilities will allow Ford to produce 129 gigawatt-hours’ worth of EV batteries.
A UAW-represented worker inspects a near-production F-150 Lightning at Rouge EV Center
Photo: Ford
This move is Ford’s latest in its endeavor to ultimately become America’s top EV manufacturer. In November, CEO Jim Farley confirmed that Ford is targeting a global production output of 600,000 electric vehicles within the next 24 months. That would put the Blue Oval behind only Tesla in EV production in the U.S.
“The pride and quality UAW members are putting into building the iconic Ford F-150 Lightning is
evident in the high pre-production demand for the new F-150 Lightning truck,” said UAW Vice President Chuck Browning. “UAW members are leading the way in doubling the amount of vehicles Ford is producing for this game-changing model of our legendary union-built vehicle.”
In addition to the F-150 Lightning, the Mustang Mach-E will play a huge role in Ford’s plans. Farley announced last month that production of the electric SUV will increase to more than 200,000 units for North America and Europe in 2023. That would triple Mustang Mach-E output from last year. Ford also builds the Mustang Mach-E locally in China, where deliveries kicked off at the end of December.
Initial Ford F-150 Lightning deliveries will kick off in the spring
Photo: Ford
If you’re one of the lucky thousands upon thousands who reserved an F-150 Lightning, your year is fixing to get off to a nice start. On Thursday, select retail reservation holders will begin receiving emails inviting them to convert those reservations to orders.
Ford is taking a phased, wave-by-wave approach to converting initial reservations. This will allow the earliest adopters first crack at getting their truck in the spring. Not all current reservation holders will have the chance to grab a 2022 model. They’ll be invited, however, to finalize their orders for future model years “in due course.” Because demand for the Ford F-150 Lightning is what? Insane.
With the new year underway, the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning moves into the final phase of pre-production. Trucks will roll out for real-world assessment over the next few months, undergoing around 1 million miles of testing. The first Lightnings should be finding their way into the hands of drivers this spring.
“The reality is clear: People are ready for an all-electric F-150 and Ford is pulling out all the stops to scale our operations and increase production capacity,” added Galhotra.
Kyle S. Johnson lives in Cincinnati, a city known by many as “the Cincinnati of Southwest Ohio.” He enjoys professional wrestling, Halloween, and also other things. He has been writing for a while, and he plans to continue to write well into the future. See more articles by Kyle.
