Ford To Resume Production Of F-150 Lightning EV From March

Production of the Ford F-150 Lightning electric vehicle (EV) will resume in March after the renowned carmaker halted production because a battery problem caught fire last month. The American automaker declared that the all-electric pickup truck's resumption of production is scheduled for the middle of March. Emma Bergg, a Ford representative, stated in a statement that the company intends to resume the manufacture of the F-150 Lightning EV on March 13 in response to a report by CBS News. Additionally, about a month has passed since the Michigan-based company learned that one of its electric trucks had a battery problem. For those unaware, one of the F-150 Lightning EVs caught fire in a holding last February 4, according to Engadget's news report. Ford acknowledges a battery problem, but it's still not clear what caused the electric vehicle to burst into flames. Yet, the manufacturer claims that they have cooperated with SK On, the company that supplies their batteries, to resolve the problem. Everyone is further reassured by the large company that there is no charging error at work. Furthermore, Ford says, "in the weeks ahead, we will continue to apply our learnings and work with SK On's team to ensure we continue delivering high-quality battery packs - down to the battery cells." [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="2048"] Image credit: Motor Trend[/caption] In addition, the automaker revealed that they are stepping up manufacturing of the REVC, or Rouge Electric Vehicle Center, in a short time. Ford said as a result that it "will continue holding already-produced vehicles while we work through engineering and parts updates."

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Ford F-150 Lightning, the automaker's first-ever electric pickup truck, began manufacturing in April of last year. Yet according to Engadget, the company has only sold about 20,000 units since then. The electric truck's current reservations, which exceed 200,000, are thousands of miles distant. Moreover, to meet the high demand, the Michigan company plans to increase the production of its electric pickup. By 2023, it expects to start producing about 150,000 trucks annually. Also, it will be interesting to see if Ford is still on schedule to meet its production targets for the F-150 Lightning EV in light of the latest setback. After all, the battery problem caused a production halt that lasted for a few weeks, now stretching to almost a month.