The Ford factory in Michigan has proceeded to launch the production lines of the all-electric F-150 Lightning truck, nearly a year after it was announced.
Ford spent $950 million and a year and a half to construct the electric car manufacturing complex in Michigan. The state-of-the-art facility resides on the same ground where the company began making cars in 1927, nearly a century ago.
Rather than using a conventional ‘conveyor belt’ approach, Ford has chosen a rather unusual layout of the factory. The whole process relies on self-driving platforms carrying unfinished car bodies from one site to another. Despite extensive use of modern technology and automation, the factory still employs 1,700 people. This includes the staff of the battery production plant and other specialized facilities.
In its bare-bones form, the Lightning starts just under $40,000 USD. It covers up to 370 km (230 miles) on a charge and commands 432 PS (426 hp / 318 kW) courtesy of dual motors. Opting for the top spec raises the power to 571 PS (563 hp / 420 kW) and the range to 515 km (320 miles). Depending on trim options, it lands somewhere in the $74,000–$91,000 area.
The automaker has reported taking in over 200,000 pre-orders for the truck. According to a market research, the Lightning will be the first Ford car for around 75% of the buyers, even though its fuel-powered counterpart stays the single best-selling truck in the United States.