Ford wants to assemble two million EVs per year by 2026.
BlueOval City will have a production capacity of 500,000 EVs by 2025.
Ford’s second generation of trucks will be assembled at this new complex.
With each passing week, a new announcement about the construction of a new assembly plant or battery production site – or even the extraction of raw materials in certain cases – makes headlines. Automakers have been in “major investment” mode for several months, and the shift to electric vehicles can only accelerate this trend.
At Ford, efforts have already begun in this direction, with the Mustang Mach-E crossover, the F-150 Lightning pickup and even the E-Transit van. But it’s far from over, according to Ford’s recent announcement of a new mega-campus in Stanton, West Tennessee.
A rendering of Ford’s BlueOval City Photo: Ford
This is where the next-generation electric truck will take shape, the project being called “Project T3” for now. Production of the new electric truck will begin in 2025.
Unfortunately, the details about this future electron-powered truck are unknown, but the means that Ford intends to use to get there are. Indeed, the BlueOval City plant, with a targeted annual production capacity of 500,000 units, has been conceived to be “radically efficient and carbon neutral,” according to the automaker.
Ford wants to revolutionize the American truck with this plant and this new product equipped with a rear cargo box. It will actually be Ford’s second generation of electric trucks, which the automaker says “is fully upgradeable, constantly improving and supports towing, hauling, exportable power and countless new innovations that owners will want.”
“BlueOval City is the model for Ford’s electric future around the world,” said Bill Ford, Ford executive chairman. “We will build revolutionary electric vehicles at an advanced manufacturing site that works in harmony with the planet, aligning the company’s growth and innovation with environmental progress.”
Designed to be radically efficient and carbon neutral, the truck plant on the BlueOval City site will be capable of producing 500,000 electric trucks a year at full production. Photo: Ford
Ford and its partner SK will invest no less than US $5.6 billion in the complex and, in the process, create approximately 6,000 jobs. To this end, the company is launching an education and training program called BlueOval Learning to prepare future employees for the assembly complex. The new complex is part of the brand’s strategy to boost its electric vehicle production, with Ford aiming to reach a rate of two million EVs per year by the end of 2026.
The goal for the Tennessee facility is to use carbon-free electricity from day one of its opening. Ford also wants to use energy recovered from the site’s utility infrastructure and geothermal system to provide carbon-free heating for the assembly plant.
What’s more, the campus’ new water distribution system will save 50 million gallons of water annually by reducing evaporation from the site’s cooling towers. Ford also intends to develop a holistic stormwater management system separate from the water table to help protect the local environment.
The complex will also be able to manufacture batteries, courtesy of partner SK, which will speed up vehicle production. And that’s not all, as the complex will also have the ability to add dozens of Ford’s most popular truck features, including robotic spray-in bed liners and integrated tool boxes. There’s even a branch of the Lowe’s chain of stores on campus to supply building materials, reducing emissions and traffic congestion, while two construction equipment rental companies and three concrete plants to facilitate on-site operations.
What is clear from this presentation is that this future assembly site for Ford will be state of the art. We will have to keep an eye on Ford in the months to come, as the manufacturer will certainly want to deliver some juicy information about this “Project T3”.
