DEARBORN, Mich. – Ford says it will add 300 jobs at a new factory that’s being built to assemble batteries and manufacture an electric version of the F-150 pickup truck.
The new plant -- called the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center -- is being built at the Ford Rouge complex in Dearborn, Michigan, where Ford is starting to produce a new version of the F-150 that’s due in showrooms this November.
This short video shows an animation of the center construction:
“We are proud today to announce for our Ford UAW members and our nation that Ford is building this new plant to assemble the truck of the future -- a battery electric Ford F-150," reads a statement from United Auto Workers (UAW) Ford Vice President Gerald Kariem. “Where once the Mustang changed America, UAW members will now build the truck that will change America -- Built Ford Tough by UAW members.”
Ford's F-series pickup is the top-selling vehicle in the U.S. with nearly 900,000 sold last year.
Ford says the new electric truck will go on sale in mid-2022. The company says it’s investing $700 million in its Rouge factory complex to make the new trucks. Ford also plans a plug-in gas-electric hybrid version.
The company says a study done by the Boston Consulting Group found that the F-Series brings in $42 billion in U.S. revenue. That’s more than whole companies such as McDonald’s, Nike and Netflix.
Here’s some bonus video from Ford showing the all-electric F-150 prototype testing: