Electric trucks are on their way to a driveway near you.
Michigan is about to be at the forefront of electric vehicle production with the Ford Motor Company rolling out the all-electric F-150 Lightning in the spring of 2022 and expanding the job market in the region.
Bill Ford, executive chair of Ford Motor Company, said, “We knew the F-150 Lightning was special, but the interest from the public has surpassed our highest expectations and changed the conversation around electric vehicles. So we are doubling down, adding jobs and investment to increase production. This truck and the Ford-UAW workers who are assembling it in Michigan have a chance to make history and lead the electric vehicle movement in America.”
Jobs are opening up throughout southeast Michigan production facilities to increase capacity to 80,000 F-150s per year.
If electric trucks seem impractical, skepticism could be quelled with the stats of a 300-mile driving range on a single charge and a $40,000 base price, according to Ford. Over 150,000 have already been ordered. Ford says the battery system yields “zero tailpipe emissions” and can generate power for homes and businesses if needed.
Reporting for WGRT- Jennie McClelland
