Ford jacks up production of electric F-150, cites big demand

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP

DEARBORN, Mich. (AP) — Ford says it will nearly double the annual production of its electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck based on a high number of advance reservations.

The company said Tuesday that it will be able to build at a rate of 150,000 pickups per year at its electric vehicle factory in Dearborn, Michigan, by the middle of next year.

Previously Ford had expected to build 80,000 per year at the new factory, which likely will have to be expanded to handle the increased output.

The company says nearly 200,000 people have put down $100 refundable deposits on the trucks. It’s now sending out emails asking customers to convert their reservations to actual orders by picking a dealer and agreeing on a price.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/technology-business-environment-and-nature-michigan-ed809bb0f237e4d3be7974936416f91e

[IronLionZion]

1. Their massive batteries come in handy during power outages

[Zorro]

2. Ford was marketing EVs heavily this weekend

Lots of ads during the football games, especially for the electric F-150 “Lightning”. Looks like it paid off.

[zaj]

3. Whatever happened to the Cybertruck?

Ford is beating Tesla to the market?

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

4. Ford's Lightning is just a jerry rigged F-150...

... same as the gas/IHC designed PowerStroke diesel with an electric motor put in it and a few bells and whistles. All the other electric pick ups, ie... GM's Hummer and Silverado, Rivian, Tesla... are designed top to bottom for electric power.

[zaj]

5. That seems like a good thing, but...

... what are the negatives? It sounds Iike you feel there may be a down side?

[Miguelito Loveless]

10. A vehicle that has been built from the ground up as an EV

is going to have a better design than a vehicle that just had the drivetrains swapped out. The Ford Focus was such a vehicle and it actually lost trunk space to the battery. Conversions usually wind up with lost space in some manner.

[Freddie]

6. Base list price $40k

That’s about what my friend paid for a new Silverado truck 5 years ago. Not anything I could afford but not unreasonable by current standards.

[Eugene]

12. plus dealers want a 5k markup,

sometimes as high as $30,000.

[byronius]

7. My next truck.

Waiting on it.

[DenaliDemocrat]

8. I want one! I will wait two years though.

My next and probably last vehicle

[DENVERPOPS]

21. Good thinking DD

Chevy volt just had to recall 140K Chevy Volts and stop production due to exploding batteries.....

I would NEVER buy a vehicle the first year it comes out.............

[Amy_Jones_90]

9. I remember

I remember my right-wing family members making fun of this truck and predicting that it would fail ... turns out that plenty of truck owners actually believe in climate change as well.

[George II]

11. Isn't this anticipatory? When Ford actually doubles annual production it will be LBN.

That's the criteria being used to determine whether an OP meets the SOP of Latest Breaking News, as in:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142848181#post22

[Gore1FL]

13. Their stock is up 11% on this announcement. nt

[Owl]

14. Any info out on towing range?

[OneCrazyDiamond]

15. I hope

$100 refundable deposits turn into orders that pay Union Workers, who then vote blue.

[PortTack]

16. Hope they put a dent in tesla

[mahatmakanejeeves]

19. Figuratively, I hope, not literally. NT

[hunter]

20. If I was a general contractor looking to impress high-end clients...

... I'd buy one of these in a second. Especially here in "Left Coast" California.