Ford wants to build 150,000 units per year as soon as 2023
Currently, there are 200,000 orders placed on the Lightning
The electric truck is built at the historic Rouge complex, where Ford pioneered the assembly line
Many people interested in electric vehicles will be happy to learn that full-scale production of the Ford F-150 Lightning has just begun.
The first consumer units of Ford’s first electric pickup have begun rolling off the Rouge complex assembly line yesterday. This is a big moment for Ford, since the success of the Lightning is essential to its operations.
Indeed, the Lightning is the electric version of the F-Series pickup, which is by far the most important vehicle for Ford. In fact, the F-Series is so important that it was determined to be the second American product in terms of revenue, just behind the iPhone.
In addition, the Rouge complex where it is assembled is significant not just for Ford, but for the automotive industry in general, since it was one of the first factories to use the moving assembly line that was pioneered by Ford and is now in use in every automotive factory around the world.
The automaker wants to quickly increase its production rate in order to reach an output of 150,000 units per year as soon as 2023. Even at that level, the Lightning will still be in demand, since there are currently 200,000 orders for the electric truck and many more are expected to be filed when the order books reopen.
The F-150 Lightning will also be a key player in Ford’s plan to sell 2 million electric vehicles per year by 2026 and then have 50% of its global sales be battery powered by the end of the decade.
