While Ford may be pulling back on some of its more ambitious EV plans, it’s running full steam ahead on a more targeted rollout of battery electric vehicles, a move the automaker hopes will help it compete against the rapidly-moving Chinese EV manufacturers. As part of this new strategy, the Ford Louisville Assembly plant will shut down later this for a major retooling. Based on a new report, we now have further confirmation that the facility will transition to producing fully electric vehicles by the time it comes back online.
According to the Louisville Courier Journal, Ford submitted plans to the city with specific details about what it intends to do at the site in the near future. The development plan includes three building projects, expected to add 52,000 square feet to the facility. One facet of the plant’s rehabilitation will create six new dock positions and three replacement docks, which will reroute existing roads on the property. Additionally, another 30,000 square feet will add more dock space. But the third addition to the property is the most notable part of the plan, as involves the construction of an electric vehicle charging station. The station is projected to cover about 12,000 square feet, due to the canopy that will cover 16 charging units and a substation.
These details reinforce earlier details about the future of Louisville Assembly, namely that the plant will most likely stop producing the Ford Escape and Lincoln Corsair after each crossover gets their own truncated 2026 model year. According to the 2023 UAW bargaining agreement, both nameplates will be retired to make way for fully electric vehicle production. While Ford has not officially confirmed anything to the retooling, the plant will most likely be the first Ford facility to manufacture an EV developed by the advanced electric development team, which Ford CEO Jim Farley said is dedicated to creating low cost EVs. And at this juncture, it looks like the plant will build the first all-electric Ford Ranger, which is expected to launch in 2027.
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40K low priced EV with 180 mile range these EVs will sell like ice sells in the Antarctic
100% asinine and just plain stupid. And who cares about competing with Chinese EVs?
Well, we can’t buy them here (yet) so the market is wide open for anyone who wants to take it. I guess Mary will step up first. Jim still wants to make trucks.
52000 square feet addition is very small for a facility this size and 16 charging stations are a small number for a facility designed to build 60 units and hour. This sounds like electrified vehicles will be a supplement as opposed to a replacement product for this facility.
Nope. Reread the article. It’s a replacement model.
That’s like saying ‘but I read about it in the National Enquirer’..LOL!
A lot of conjecture in the Courier article. As I recall the original article, a Ford spokesperson downplayed the speculating saying it is a project to redo the loading docks. The workers there better hope the Escape survived with the new EV or they can kiss their OT goodbye.
A future headline is easy to predict: “Ford announces layoffs at Louisville EV plant.” Ask the Ford employees in Cologne how their conversion went, as EV sales failed to sell at anything near the volume of the previous products.
Ask the folks at Oakville how that new Explorer EV is going.
I hope great…Didn’t know those were in production.
To educate you, the Explorer EV that was scheduled for Oakville was cancelled due to no interest. The plant is now being converted to assembly of full size trucks.
GM just added the equinox to its planned “EV only” Fairfax plant, and Orion will build full size trucks and SUVs instead of electric pickups. IMHO Louisville will continue building small gas powered CUVs and add the Mach E
Another dumb move by Ford. They should be announcing they are adding Bronco Sport and Maverick production and continuing Escape and Corsair production. They already have plants to build EVs that are well below capacity. It’s unlikely they need more anytime soon. GM is moving the gas powered Blazer and Equinox from Mexico to existing plants in the USA. They are also moving production of some full size pickups from Canada and possibly Mexico to the USA.
And GM appears to have given the XT5 and 6 Cadillacs and the Blazer another go-around.
Agree with Dave 100 % !
This is another dumb Farley move because he has been all in on EV and cannot admit that he was wrong!
When will the board at Ford get rid of this guy?
Cannot be soon enough!
Awesome news…I’m stoked for an electric ranger! Lets Goooooooooo!
Me 2!!!
If you haven’t owned an EV then quit posting negativity about it because you don’t know wtf your talking about.
Perhaps we know more than you think……..
So far no evidence of that. We have a Mache and a Lightning, after owning Escapes and F-150s of every engine config. Don’t see going back as it’s been waaaaay better.
Seems like a lot of people stuck with wanting overly complex ICE vehicles they get to complain about gas prices and oil changes with but who will defend it forever instead of actually trying something new.