On Tuesday, the first all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning rolled off the manufacturing line in Detroit, Michigan, with a lot at stake for the brand and electric vehicles in general.
Ford has received 200,000 preorders for the electric model of the pickup truck that has been the country’s best-selling vehicle for nearly 50 years.
The Lightning is not the first electric pickup truck to be released. Rivian, a startup that only builds electric vehicles, began manufacturing the R1T truck last fall but only made approximately 3,500 in the first six months. General Motors has also started manufacturing the GMC Hummer EV truck, but only 99 have been sold in the first quarter of production.
Interest in the Lightning has prompted Ford to invest $950 million toward manufacturing development, adding 750 jobs and doubling production.
Ford CEO Jim Farley said the company would focus on preorders for six months to a year, but after that, he intends to diligently advertise the Lightning to those looking for other truck brands.
However, despite the high level of buyer desire, Ford’s ability to launch the vehicle without incident is far from certain.
The carmaker has experienced numerous problems with introducing new models of its most popular cars, particularly the 2019 introduction of the Ford Explorer SUV. The failure of the launch to meet quality standards resulted in billions of dollars in losses for the corporation and the departure of two key executives.
“There’s a lot riding on it,” said Michelle Krebs, executive analyst for Cox Automotive. “Ford has had its troubles with launches, and now added to that, there are all of these supply chain issues.”
Ford is not the only vehicle manufacturing company to experience issues. Due to a shortage of computer chips and other parts and materials, nearly all manufacturers have had to reduce the manufacturing of new vehicles, with some factories temporarily closing down.
These production bottlenecks have resulted in a limited supply of vehicles, which has resulted in consumer car prices reaching new highs.
According to Krebs, if Ford and other major automakers in the U.S. market are to succeed in switching from gasoline-powered vehicles to electric vehicles as they claim, they must first get American truck consumers comfortable with the idea of electric pickups.