Rahul Somvanshi
Ford has assured plans to develop an all-new electric pickup at the new BlueOval City manufacturing unit it is constructing in west Tennessee. The unrevealed pickup will be a follow-up to the F-150 Lightning that is currently on the market. The EV is being developed and named Project T3, for which Ford devised the term “Trust The Truck.”
Ford’s next electric pickup truck will enter production in 2025 at BlueOval City, an extensive, 3,600-acre factory in Tennessee focused on cranking out battery-powered pickups. Ford states it will be a truck “people can trust in the digital age–one that’s fully updatable, constantly improving, and supports towing, hauling, exportable power and endless new innovations owners will want.”
Project T3 could dramatically revolutionize America’s truck market. Ford CEO Jim Farley stated the new truck was “going to be like the Millennium Falcon—with a back porch attached.” The Dearborn-based company hasn’t revealed many details about the truck and is keeping its official name, price, and EV range under wraps for now.
The manufacturing stages for BlueOval City will be “radical simplicity, cost efficiency, and quality technology.” The F-150 Lightning is available in variants with up to 580 hp and can accelerate to 60 mph in less than four seconds. Ford’s new truck is set to begin production in 2025, and BlueOval City is being built with the capacity to produce 500,000 annually.
Ford claims to lose $3 billion on its EV programmes in 2023 as it invests in new models and expands its manufacturing capability. All vehicles produced at BlueOval City will likely qualify for the federal EV tax credit. South Korean battery manufacturing company SK On has collaborated with Ford on BlueOval City as a joint venture, and the two have also invested in another new EV battery factory in Kentucky. BlueOval City will be Ford’s largest of the three by far at 3,600 acres compared to 1,500 in Kentucky and 950 in Michigan.
