2025 Ford F150 Electric & Lightning Rumors- Even before the first electric F-150 could reach customers, news of the second-generation Ford F-150 Lightning had spread. According to an update from Reuters, Ford is targeting annual production of 160,000 units of the Ford F-150 by 2025. 150 Lightning is reported to be launched by the end of 2025.
F-150 Lightning Supply & Demand
Ford has received nearly 200,000 orders for the F-150 Lightning to date, and this number does not include fleet/commercial sales through the Ford Pro program. On January 4, 2022, Ford said that it plans to double its annual production of the F-150 Lightning to 150,000 units.
Theoretically, as it happens, there are potential buyers, who today held reservations for the F-150 Lightning, but what they got was a 2025 model built on the TE1 platform!
2025 F-150 Lightning Platform & Battery
Where the upcoming electric F-150 uses a modified version of the F-150 petrol chassis, Ford has two platforms that will launch exclusively for electric vehicles. The smaller GE2 in mid-2023 will feature cars and crossovers (including the second-generation Mustang Mach-E). At the same time, the TE1 truck size will accommodate the 2025 Ford F-150 Lightning and possibly even the Ford Ranger EV.
In addition, the Ford Bronco EV (which the company almost confirmed as a green light project) and “Electric two- and three-line SUVs for families around the world.
And while Ford can pick up batteries from vendors like LG Chem and SK Innovation right now, by 2025, the brand will have enough volume in North America to justify its factories, Thai-Tang said in an interview with CNBC. With systems/components aligned to the TE1 platform, multiple Ford/Lincoln electric vehicles can use the same size battery, which will make it easier for Ford to build/assemble their cells.
In December 2021, Automotive News asked Farley Jr. whether Ford would need a new assembly plant outside Blue Oval City. He said Ford had just announced a new plant that would build vehicles not available today on a new full-size pickup platform, which would be “very high volume” models.
Farley Jr. likely refers to the next-generation F-150 Lightning, which Ford will develop as an EV from the start. Production will probably occur at a much larger scale than the current model, as the EV will mature in the meantime.
Ford announced Blue Oval City, a 3,600-acre campus comprising new vehicle assembly, battery production, and supplier parks in Tennessee, on September 27, 2021. On the same day, the Tennessee government revealed in its announcement that the company would build a Blue Oval City in Memphis. Regional Megasite manufactures the next generation of all-electric F-Series trucks in 2025.
Ford Ion Park & IonBoost+ Battery
On April 27, 2021, Ford announced the Ford Ion Park, a new facility for battery and cell technology R&D and potentially even battery production in the future. This will be in addition to the 200,000 square-foot learning laboratory to develop, test, and construct vehicle battery cells and cell arrays opening later this year, located on the same site. The next-generation Ford F-150 Lightning should pack a battery developed at Ford Ion Park.
On July 27, 2021, Ford confirmed that it would build a Ford Ion Park in Romulus, a city in Wayne County, Michigan. USD 100 million will be used for this project, which is more than half of the company’s USD 185 million investment commitment to developing, testing, and building battery cells and cell arrays.
Blue Oval plans to upgrade its existing 270,000 square feet. Facilities to accommodate up to 200 engineers and provide space for pilot-scale equipment for electrode, cell, array design, and product innovation and engineering. This will open a “new collaborative learning lab” this year.
The company believes that IonBoost+ provides the highest energy density of any cell type. Boost has NMC chemistry for the cathode, with Nickel accounting for 88% content. Boost and IonBoost+ are the same things, but the latter is the official name.
Ford will develop the IonBoost Pro battery for commercial vehicles consisting of lithium iron phosphate cells.
Solid-state battery coming this decade
Ford is also investing in solid-state battery technology, expecting production-worthy solid-state batteries to be ready by the decade. On May 3, 2021, Ford announced an additional investment in Solid Power to accelerate solid-state battery technology development by contributing to a $130 million Series B investment. With this investment round, Blue Oval is an equal shareholder of the BMW Group, and representatives from both companies will join Solid Power’s board.
Ted Miller, Ford electrification subsystems and power supply research manager, said the company could increase range, increase interior space and cargo volume, and, ultimately, lower costs to deliver better value to customers.
Thai-Tang says it is possible to build batteries with Solid Power’s sulfide-based solid electrolyte and silicon-based anode chemistry using the same manufacturing processes as existing lithium-ion batteries. As a result, Blue Oval will be able to reuse approximately 70% of its capital investment in the Li-ion manufacturing line.
Ford EV Strategy
Ford is optimistic about electrification in the North American and European markets and is planning a massive xEV attack. The company expects 50% of global vehicle sales will come from pure electric models by 2030. Blue Oval will launch several EVs from the Ford and Lincoln brands this decade, including the Bronco EV, Explorer EV, Ranger EV, an electric SUV-based compact MEB platform, and Aviator EV.
In addition to developing new electric and powertrain products, part of the USD 30 billion investment will be used for domestic battery production. In partnership with SK Innovation, the company plans to build BlueOvalSK Battery Park, a battery manufacturing complex consisting of two battery factories in central Kentucky. It will build Blue Oval City in Tennessee with South Korean battery specialists. The facility will supply batteries for the company’s electric vehicles.
Business trifurcation
To accelerate electrification and simplify its business, Ford has separated operations into three divisions: Ford Model e (passenger EV), Ford Blue (passenger ICEV, and Ford Pro (CV). When dividing its business, the company expects significant changes from its dealers to smooth the transition to EVs.
This move will ensure that customers are not exploited with hefty markups on sticker prices when buying electric vehicles. Dealers must meet specific standards to take EV shipments from Ford starting January 2024.
This can also positively impact dealers, such as not keeping an inventory of EVs, which means requiring smaller facilities. An EV customer may want a gas-engined vehicle for weekend trips. A new rental model may allow dealers to loan out the customer’s vehicle for a short period and sell and service the car.