'Project T3' Next-Gen Electric Ford Truck to be built at BlueOval City

[On the Road with Ralph]

T3 arrives in 2025. F150 ICE is completely redesigned in 2026. I'm told that the current Lightning plant will cease producing vehicles when the ICE plant retools. That tells me the first T3 vehicle will be the Lightning replacement.

I'm not sure who your source is (since you offered NO evidence), but to claim that the Rouge plant "will cease producing vehicles" is absurd given Ford's recent and substantial investment in it. Might it shift to producing another EV? Sure. But I can also see Ford using the 2026 refresh/redesign of the F-150 to optimize the platform for both EV and ICE production. The engineering reality is that a frame chassis is low-hanging fruit for an EV variant, since it provides a ready-to-use space for the battery. Creating a new F-150 that better accommodates commonality between EV and ICE improves production efficiency and lowers costs for both powertrains. And there are some (many?) buyers who believe that a "real truck" must be body-on-frame. Ford is not going to leave these folks without an EV option if they think it will help them maintain their four-decade sales run with the F-Series.

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[TaxmanHog]

I'm not sure who your source is (since you offered NO evidence), but to claim that the Rouge plant "will cease producing vehicles" is absurd given Ford's recent and substantial investment in it.

He is our factory insider ..... LOL......

 

[Pioneer74]

I'm not sure who your source is (since you offered NO evidence)

I'm the source. I talk to engineers from VO (Vehicle Operations) all the time. I work on the Rouge site. I even got to follow my truck down the assembly line.

When the ICE truck is redesigned there is no intention of keeping an electric version of it since Ford is investing heavily in the T3 platform.

 

[On the Road with Ralph]

I'm the source. I talk to engineers from VO (Vehicle Operations) all the time. I work on the Rouge site. I even got to follow my truck down the assembly line.

When the ICE truck is redesigned there is no intention of keeping an electric version of it since Ford is investing heavily in the T3 platform.

That may be true, but what I declared to be absurd was the claim that the Rouge plant "will cease producing vehicles" - which TaxmanHog actually doubled-down on. Rouge is Ford's largest manufacturing facility in the world and without it will literally be impossible for Ford to reach its stated target of 2M EVs by 2026, even with the BlueOval City (which can only initially build 500K vehicles). Moreover, Ford is currently spending even more millions increasing Rouge's capacity to build EVs. Ford is NOT going to shutter it in 2026, or any other year for the foreseeable future.

Meanwhile, it possible for two things to be true at once: That T3 is important and will lead to a new generation of Ford utility EVs, AND building an electric F-150 as body-on-frame to please the "gotta be a real truck" crowd will continue. I guess we'll see in a couple years.

 

[Pioneer74]

That may be true, but what I declared to be absurd was the claim that the Rouge plant "will cease producing vehicles" - which TaxmanHog actually doubled-down on. Rouge is Ford's largest manufacturing facility in the world and without it will literally be impossible for Ford to reach its stated target of 2M EVs by 2026, even with the BlueOval City (which can only initially build 500K vehicles). Moreover, Ford is currently spending even more millions increasing Rouge's capacity to build EVs. Ford is NOT going to shutter it in 2026, or any other year for the foreseeable future.

Meanwhile, it possible for two things to be true at once: That T3 is important and will lead to a new generation of Ford utility EVs, AND building an electric F-150 as body-on-frame to please the "gotta be a real truck" crowd will continue. I guess we'll see in a couple years.

I never said whole Rouge was to cease building vehicles. Just the Lightning plant.

2 Million EV's worldwide. BlueOval City + Oakville + Cuautitlan + Europe.

 

[detansinn]

I wouldn’t be buying a Lightning if it wasn’t body on frame.

Why does unibody suck for a truck? Well…

• If you manage to bend the bed during loading with a body on frame truck, the bed is easily repaired/replaced. Do the same in a unibody truck and congratulations, you’ve totaled it.
• If you’re carrying mulch, gasoline, or something else odorific in a unibody truck, this is the new smell of your truck. Worse, something caustic. There’s no isolation with the bed payload with a unibody truck.
• Trucks get loaded from the side all of the time, be it parked on a residential street or an urban environment. Unibody trucks are typically more difficult to load from side due to the structural requirements — see first generation Ridgeline where Honda learned a bunch of lessons. The Maverick has a relatively low bed side, but it also can’t carry anything actually heavy.
• A unibody truck loses the glorious modularity of a body on frame design, severely limiting the utility over its lifetime.

With Tesla going unibody for the Cybertruck, I am sure that we will see a lot of apologists for the design. If you’re driving to Whole Foods with your “truck”, it probably doesn’t matter if it’s unibody. If you are using it as an actual truck, different story.

I am all in on an electric F series. Zero interest in whatever the T3 will be.

 

[On the Road with Ralph]

I never said whole Rouge was to cease building vehicles. Just the Lightning plant.

2 Million EV's worldwide. BlueOval City + Oakville + Cuautitlan + Europe.

I never said YOU (Pioneer74) said that. I quoted TaxmanHog, who not only said it, but doubled-down on it when I pointed out that it was absurd.

As for your global EV math:

Oakville is currently producing Edge and Nautilus - mostly ICE, low volume vehicles. In its best year (about a decade ago), it produced less than 260K vehicles. It is being retooled, but I'm doubtful it could contribute more than 250K EVs in 2026.

Cuautitlan is currently doing Mach-E; current annual production is <100K. Could it be more? Yeah, but I can't find that Ford has any new significant investment plans for the facility.

Europe is sorta vague. Some combination of what? Romania (150K capacity)? Turkey (200K mostly vans/cargo trucks)? Germany/Cologne (maybe 150K)? At existing European plants, there is maybe 500K capacity that could be used for EVs - assuming most ICE production was stopped, which isn't going to happen, at least not until 2030 or beyond.

So your equation is over half a million EVs short without Rouge, and that is assuming massive conversions of capacity from ICE to EV that have not been announced. Even if you include Changan/China (and you didn't) you don't get there without Rouge. So I am pretty confident, despite your alleged "insider" knowledge, that Rouge will be producing Ford EVs in 2026 - the only question is, which one(s)?

 

[TaxmanHog]

I never said YOU (Pioneer74) said that. I quoted TaxmanHog, who not only said it, but doubled-down on it when I pointed out that it was absurd.

The post I made [33] was an excerpt of the linked article IN THE POST, read that and confirm....

 

[Pioneer74]

I never said YOU (Pioneer74) said that. I quoted TaxmanHog, who not only said it, but doubled-down on it when I pointed out that it was absurd.

As for your global EV math:

Oakville is currently producing Edge and Nautilus - mostly ICE, low volume vehicles. In its best year (about a decade ago), it produced less than 260K vehicles. It is being retooled, but I'm doubtful it could contribute more than 250K EVs in 2026.

Cuautitlan is currently doing Mach-E; current annual production is <100K. Could it be more? Yeah, but I can't find that Ford has any new significant investment plans for the facility.

Europe is sorta vague. Some combination of what? Romania (150K capacity)? Turkey (200K mostly vans/cargo trucks)? Germany/Cologne (maybe 150K)? At existing European plants, there is maybe 500K capacity that could be used for EVs - assuming most ICE production was stopped, which isn't going to happen, at least not until 2030 or beyond.

So your equation is over half a million EVs short without Rouge, and that is assuming massive conversions of capacity from ICE to EV that have not been announced. Even if you include Changan/China (and you didn't) you don't get there without Rouge. So I am pretty confident, despite your alleged "insider" knowledge, that Rouge will be producing Ford EVs in 2026 - the only question is, which one(s)?

I also forgot China, but you're not listening anyway. You're free to believe what you want. Just think of this thread when the future unfolds. Cheers.

 

[greenne]

Different Take-- what if the Lightning soldiers on(after 2025) as a Fleet only work EV work truck. I know the t3 is gonna be all the rage for retail consumers, but fleet managers value different things.

The Lightning(in 2025) would offer familiarity, reduced cost, accessory availability, interoperability with ICE f150s and/or older Lightnings, etc.

Side note-- I don't think this will tank Lightning values. There are a lot of redeeming qualities in keeping the truck similar to the gas version. A lot of people will still value that. I know Farley has got to pump the stock and get people interested in the "new" next big thing, but I'm not so sure its gonna be that much more revolutionary vs the current generation.

 

[greenne]

I wouldn’t be buying a Lightning if it wasn’t body on frame.

Why does unibody suck for a truck? Well…

• If you manage to bend the bed during loading with a body on frame truck, the bed is easily repaired/replaced. Do the same in a unibody truck and congratulations, you’ve totaled it.
• If you’re carrying mulch, gasoline, or something else odorific in a unibody truck, this is the new smell of your truck. Worse, something caustic. There’s no isolation with the bed payload with a unibody truck.
• Trucks get loaded from the side all of the time, be it parked on a residential street or an urban environment. Unibody trucks are typically more difficult to load from side due to the structural requirements — see first generation Ridgeline where Honda learned a bunch of lessons. The Maverick has a relatively low bed side, but it also can’t carry anything actually heavy.
• A unibody truck loses the glorious modularity of a body on frame design, severely limiting the utility over its lifetime.

With Tesla going unibody for the Cybertruck, I am sure that we will see a lot of apologists for the design. If you’re driving to Whole Foods with your “truck”, it probably doesn’t matter if it’s unibody. If you are using it as an actual truck, different story.

I am all in on an electric F series. Zero interest in whatever the T3 will be.

A unibody design(with the battery part of the frame) is also an issue for service. Rather than dropping the battery and replacing a defective cell, the whole pack has to be replaced. I'm not sure how feasible even that is with the new pack designs. Minor collisions that involve battery damage can/will quickly "total" a vehicle( ex . Tesla). This also will make vehicles more expensive to insure.

 

[cvalue13]

Y’all are wild for thinking Ford is looking to have multiple, overlapping, platforms of BEV trucks.

Meanwhile, Ford’s spent the past 10 years narrowing its focus and increasing scalability. Developing multiple overlapping platforms and building/retooling multiple plants for those platforms would have Ford bankrupt in 5 years.

Meanwhile-meanwhile, do folks not know what the “Lightning” moniker means in Ford history? Temporary, low production. specialty vehicle.

 

[sotek2345]

Different Take-- what if the Lightning soldiers on(after 2025) as a Fleet only work EV work truck. I know the t3 is gonna be all the rage for retail consumers, but fleet managers value different things.

The Lightning(in 2025) would offer familiarity, reduced cost, accessory availability, interoperability with ICE f150s and/or older Lightnings, etc.

Side note-- I don't think this will tank Lightning values. There are a lot of redeeming qualities in keeping the truck similar to the gas version. A lot of people will still value that. I know Farley has got to pump the stock and get people interested in the "new" next big thing, but I'm not so sure its gonna be that much more revolutionary vs the current generation.

All I know is that I will be eagerly watching the reveal with deposit money ready.

What I want:
- More aggressive / sporty styling while improving areo
- More performance (power / acceleration / handling)
- Reduced weight
- More range from efficiency, not more battery
- Improved digital tech
- Better colors!!!! (Wouldn't mind a graphics package either)
- Either a lower stance, or some type of air suspension (even if optional)
- Maintain at least a 5.5ft bed
- Matrix headlights

What I don't want:
- LFP batteries (to big a hit in the cold)
- Mid gate (too worried about leakage from ice buildup)
- Significantly reduced seating area
- Significant loss of payload capacity
- Crazy high prices

 

[RickLightning]

2) Factory will produce no waste that will go into a landfill? How's that possible?

Maybe they toss it all in the ocean instead? I’m with you, doesn’t seem possible.

Zero-waste-to-landfill processes will capture materials and production scrap at an on-site materials collection center to sort and route materials for recycling or processing either at the plant or at off-site facilities once the plant is operational.

https://corporate.ford.com/articles/electrification/blue-oval-city.html

 

[TaxmanHog]

https://fordauthority.com/2023/03/ford-blueoval-city-will-use-carbon-free-power-from-day-one/

Ford has made a concerted effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in every aspect of its operations in recent years, with a goal of becoming 100 percent carbon neutral by 2050. It has done this in a variety of ways, ranging from using more sustainable materials to signing clean energy deals with other companies and making its production plants more environmentally friendly, earning it plenty of accolades in the process – both in the U.S. and aboard. That will also be the case with the under construction Ford BlueOval City complex, which will use carbon-free power when it begins operating in 2025.

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