The Ford F-150 Lightning is extensively thought-about probably the most essential new electrical automobiles of the previous 12 months — or the previous decade even. Actually, the F-150 Lightning was 2022 CleanTechnica Automobile of the Yr (sure, we all know, it’s a truck — however that’s the award identify). As a car, we take into account the Ford F-150 Lightning an enormous win for Ford. And clients need it. There’s one downside, although: Ford can’t produce very a lot of them.
In 2022, Ford offered 15,617 F-150 Lightnings. That’s not bringing the home down. In December, the whole was 4,775. Multiply that occasions 12 and also you’re at an annual whole of 57,300. Once more, this isn’t Earth shattering. It’s not even a a tenth of the Tesla Mannequin Y’s 2022 gross sales (~760,000). The excellent news final 12 months was that Ford introduced it was rising its annual manufacturing goal from 80,000 to 150,000 F-150 Lightnings a 12 months by the center of 2023. However, actually, the query is: couldn’t Ford promote much more Lightnings if it merely produced extra?
Properly, now we’ve obtained a solution, presuming Ford is even on observe to achieve that 150,000/12 months goal it set final 12 months. For those who go to Ford’s web site and buy groceries the F-150 Lighting, that is what you see proper close to the highest beneath the lead picture slideshow: “Because of excessive demand, the present mannequin 12 months is now not accessible for retail order. Contact your vendor for extra data.”
What that tells us is that Ford didn’t forecast as a lot demand for the electrical pickup truck because it ought to have, didn’t line up the availability chain (in all probability batteries) that it ought to have by now, and didn’t ramp up manufacturing capability shortly sufficient. I believe it’s a must to categorize that as a fail. Sure, the car is nice and is a win, however not having the ability to produce that car in excessive volumes and ship it to the purchasers who wish to purchase it’s a particular fail.
How lengthy will it take Ford to treatment this downside? How lengthy till Ford is producing 150,000 electrical vehicles a 12 months? Extra importantly, how lengthy till Ford F-150 Lightning provide is definitely matching demand? And what’s that quantity going to be?
We’d like to see much more particulars on what the bottlenecks are, how Ford is working to resolve them, and what the ramp-up plan is over time. For now, although, we choose the bittersweet undeniable fact that client demand for the breakthrough electrical pickup truck is much past Ford’s skill to provide it.
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