Ford, a titan forged in a century of truck expertise, sets its sights on revolutionizing the American truck landscape. Their staging ground? BlueOval City, a cutting-edge mega-campus nestled in West Tennessee’s rolling hills. Here, they aim to not just build electric trucks, but redefine the entire truck experience.

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A Gigafactory For The Future

BlueOval City, slated to begin production in 2025, marks Ford’s latest push towards an electric future. Imagine it as a hub of innovation, collaboration, and sustainability – Ford’s very own gigafactory. Engineers, designers, and skilled workers will converge here to create the next generation of electric trucks.

Project T3, codenamed “Trust The Truck,” takes center stage. This next-generation electric truck promises a seamless marriage of Ford’s truck capability with the efficiency of electric power. Project T3 isn’t just about raw power; it aims to redefine what a truck can be – a silent workhorse capable of hauling heavy loads with minimal environmental impact, yet offering the ruggedness and reliability Ford trucks are known for.

BlueOval City: Building Big, Building Green

BlueOval City isn’t shying away from ambitious goals. With a projected annual production capacity of 500,000 electric trucks, it has the potential to disrupt the market. Expect electric workhorses to hit the roads soon, with fleet sales likely taking precedence initially. This focus on fleet sales can be seen as a strategic move. It allows Ford to gather real-world data and refine their technology before offering large-scale consumer options.

However, Ford’s commitment extends beyond just numbers. BlueOval City is designed to be carbon-neutral, aligning its growth with global progress. The company’s public goal of achieving global carbon neutrality by 2035 is a testament to this commitment. Renewable, carbon-free electricity will fuel the assembly plant – imagine electric trucks rolling off the line powered by the sun and wind. BlueOval City will also tap into the Earth’s geothermal energy, further solidifying its position as a benchmark for sustainable manufacturing.

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Powering Progress: From Sunshine To Skills

The new-age assembly plant’s power source isn’t just clean energy; it’s a skilled workforce. Enter BlueOval Learning and K-12 STEM programs. By nurturing young minds in science, technology, engineering, and math, Ford invests in the future of electric mobility. Collaborations with universities ensure the next generation of engineers and designers are equipped to tackle EV challenges. BlueOval City is about nurturing the talent to build products and push the boundaries of electric vehicle technology.

Building A Brighter Future In Tennessee

Ford’s investment in Tennessee goes beyond just dollars (over $20 million). Its focus is on supporting local wildlife, preserving water resources, and strengthening communities. BlueOval City, Ford claims, is a “beacon of hope and a better tomorrow,” symbolizing progress, sustainability, and a shared vision for a better world. This commitment to the local community aligns with Ford’s overall sustainability goals, creating a win-win situation.

Electrified Magazine’s Take: A Race For Supremacy

While Ford sings a flowery song, reality presents a different story. They are behind clean-sheet design competitors and are essentially starting over with Project T3. While the F-150 Lightning is an impressive effort, it’s an electrified adaptation of a gas-powered platform and was obsolete when the first one rolled off the assembly line. This repurposing approach did have one critical advantage – it brought Ford’s electric truck to market faster. However, the F-150 Lightning’s ICE-based platform hinders its potential compared to competitors like GM, Stellantis, Rivian, and Tesla, who all possess a crucial advantage: dedicated EV platforms designed for optimal efficiency from the start.

If you want to see the future now, look no further than GM’s scalable Ultium architecture pictured here.  Ford’s T3 will essentially crib the General’s strategy, albeit five years behind.

There might be a silver lining for the Blue Oval here. EV tech is so fluid and evolving, that the minute a manufacturer commits to a battery chemistry or manufacturing process, it could be long-in-tooth by the time production begins. Ford could actually leapfrog the competition by being late to the clean-sheet design game. Will Ford’s last-minute pivot pay off? We’ll have to wait and see, but this battle for EV truck supremacy promises to be fierce.