Ford Will Reportedly Restart Production Of Popular F-150 Lighting This Month
The Ford F-150 Lightning is potentially a huge move for Ford, and automakers in general, towards more commonplace electrified vehicles. It's not a lifestyle vehicle in the way that a lot of electric cars are, and offers all the benefits of a regular pickup truck in an EV package. It's hard to overstate how important the F-150 Lightning could be for the future, especially if fleet sales take off and contracting firms — as well as maintenance teams — start placing orders.
There was, however, a huge roadblock in the way of the Ford's success. Ford couldn't make enough trucks to match the already wild demand, and production had to be shut down for a month due to supply issues with the battery and safety concerns. Until now, Ford Lightning trucks (and Ford Maverick trucks) have basically dried up on dealer lots, and it's now very difficult to buy one. However, there may be some light at the end of the tunnel for EV and Ford fans, as Ford is firing up production once again.
Good news for Ford
According to CNBC, Ford said it's getting back to work cranking out Lightning trucks as early as March 13 after talks with its battery producer SK on. Lightnings are currently produced at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Dearborn, Michigan. Starting up production again will, hopefully, allow Ford to fulfill more of the over 200,000 reservations it received very shortly after the vehicle went on sale.
Demand for the Lightning is absolutely no joke: Over 200,000 Lightnings on the road has the potential to both do wonders for Ford's bottom line when it comes to EVs, and help the company public image when it comes to "greener" vehicles.
As of now, there is no specific timeline as to when potential customers can see Lightnings showing up at local Ford dealerships again. However, if Ford can get the production fires burning hot enough, it will likely be soon.