Ford employees produce the electrical F-150 Lightning pickup onDec 13, 2022 at the car manufacturer’s Ford Rouge Electric Vehicle Center (REVC).
Michael Wayland|CNBC
DETROIT– Ford Motor prepares to reboot production of its electrical F-150 Lightning pickup on March 13– more than a month after a battery problem triggered among the cars to ignite.
The car manufacturer on Thursday informed CNBC the production timeline will permit its battery provider, SK On, to develop production and provide battery packs to the Michigan plant where the truck is produced.
The fire happenedFeb 4 in a holding lot throughout a pre-delivery quality check while the lorry was charging. Ford suspended production of the cars and released a stop-shipment to dealerships. Ford decreased to divulge information of the problem that triggered the lorry to ignite or of the carried out option. The business formerly stated engineers identified there was no proof of a charging fault.
“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. As REVC ramps up production, we will continue holding already-produced vehicles while we work through engineering and parts updates,” Ford stated in a declaration to CNBC.
Ford recently revealed SK had actually begun developing battery cells once again at a plant in Georgia however stated the car manufacturer would extend downtime at its Rouge Electric Vehicle Center, where the F-150 Lightning is constructed, through a minimum of today.
The F-150 Lightning is being carefully seen by financiers, as it’s the very first mainstream electrical pickup on the marketplace and a significant launch forFord The battery problem contributes to continuous “execution issues” detailed to financiers last month by Ford CEO Jim Farley that paralyzed the car manufacturer’s fourth-quarter profits.
Ford at first opened consumer bookings for the F-150 Lightning when it was exposed in May2021 More than 200,000 bookings were positioned prior to Ford briefly closing the procedure to try to line up production with anticipated need.
Many booking owners are still waiting on their cars, as Ford stated earlier Thursday it’s offered less than 20,000 of the all-electric trucks given that they went on sale in 2015.
