Ford F-150 Lightning begins pre-production as Ford boosts EV investment

Ford announced today that the F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck is officially in the pre-production stage of development. The first pre-production trucks are leaving the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center now, and fully-baked production trucks are currently scheduled to be delivered to customers next spring.

In combination with this announcement, Ford is also announcing additional investment in three Michigan facilities to increase its production capacity of the F-150 Lightning. As of today, Ford says it has “over 150,000 reservations” for the Lightning. In total, Ford says it’s going to add 450 new jobs with a $250 million investment. The jobs will be at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center, Van Dyke Electric Powertrain Center and Rawsonville Components Plant. Ford says this added firepower will allow it to produce 80,000 trucks per year. Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell attended Ford’s event today.

“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," says Bill Ford, executive chair, Ford. "So we are doubling down, adding jobs and investment to increase production."

The pre-production news also comes with photos of the Lightning being assembled. Images from the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center (which you can check out above) show the truck in various states of assembly. Plus, Ford even shows us photos of the finished pre-production trucks driving.

More details on the 2022 F-150 Lightning below:

Here's how Ford got F-150 Lightning EV pricing so close to the gasoline truck
F-150 Lightning Pro revealed as Ford's sub-$40K electric work truck
All of the 2022 Ford F-150 Lightning exterior color options
2022 Ford F-150 features unique to the electric Lightning
2022 Ford F-150 Lightning Trim Breakdown | Here's what you get at each level

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