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| Plant / Location | Partner Structure | Capacity (GWh) | Chemistry / Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| BlueOval City. Stanton, TN (Memphis area) | Ford 50% + SK On 50% JV (cells); Ford 100% (vehicle assembly) | ~43 GWh cells + Ford F-Series EV next-gen assembly | NCM. Production start delayed to 2027 (originally 2025); $5.8B initial investment |
| BlueOval SK Twin Plant 1. Glendale, KY | Ford 50% + SK On 50% JV | ~43 GWh | NCM. Production started Aug 2025; supplies F-150 Lightning + future Ford EVs + Lincoln EVs |
| BlueOval SK Twin Plant 2. Hawkins, KY | Ford 50% + SK On 50% JV | ~43 GWh | NCM. Production start delayed to 2026 (originally 2025); commissioning ongoing 2025 |
| BlueOval Battery Park. Marshall, MI | Ford 100% wholly-owned; licenses LFP tech from CATL | ~20 GWh (downsized from 35 GWh original) | LFP (CATL license). Production start delayed to late 2026 (originally H1 2026); ~1,700 jobs (downsized from 2,500); $3B+ investment |
| Glanzstoff Hungary cathode partnership (canceled) | Ford + Glanzstoff | N/A | Announced 2022 for cathode active material; subsequently shelved as Ford pivoted battery focus to US (IRA-driven) |
| Total announced US capacity | Ford + SK On + CATL license | ~129 GWh announced | ~43 GWh in production (Twin 1 Aug 2025); remaining 86 GWh ramping through 2026 to 2028 |
| Cell supplier diversification (in parallel) | LG Energy Solution + CATL imports | Variable | LG Energy Solution supplies Mustang Mach-E from Wroclaw Poland; CATL imports for some F-150 Lightning Standard Range packs; Ford does not disclose split |
| Capex commitment (cumulative through 2026) | Ford-share of joint commitments + 100% Michigan | $11.4B+ Ford-attributed | Largest legacy-OEM US battery commitment; comparison: GM ~$7B for Ultium Cells, Stellantis ~$5B for StarPlus + NextStar |
| Date / Event | Trigger | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| 2022-04. F-150 Lightning first deliveries | Production ramp | Initial run-rate ~150/week; Ford targets 150,000/year by 2024 |
| 2022-12. Production ramp halt for inspection | Battery fire during pre-delivery quality hold | 5-week halt of Rouge Electric Vehicle Center; SK On supplier root-cause investigation |
| 2023-02. Resumes production after SK On battery fix | Production resumed at 150/week pace | Mar 2023 deliveries resume; SK On modified cell-manufacturing process |
| 2023-08. Production rate boosted to 1,200/week | Demand-driven scale-up | Ford targeting 150K/year run-rate; Lightning becomes #2 BEV after Tesla in some quarters |
| 2023-10. UAW strike (CAS dispute, not Lightning-specific) | Industry-wide labor action | Lightning production affected briefly; agreement reached Oct 25; back to normal cadence |
| 2024-Jan. Cuts production rate by half | Soft demand + price cuts | Drops from 1,600/week to ~800/week target; Lightning ASP cut by $5K to $10K to clear inventory |
| 2024-Apr. Multi-week pause (further inventory adjustment) | Inventory glut | ~6 weeks halt; dealer days-supply >100; Ford cuts pickup-of-glove-box ASP further |
| 2024-Sep. Production restart at reduced rate | Demand reset | Targets ~600/week; effectively halving original 2024 plan |
| 2024-Nov. Pulls back 2025 production guidance | Q3 2024 earnings call | Ford CFO John Lawler signals Lightning 2025 production well below 2024 actuals; CEO Farley acknowledges Lightning losing money per unit |
| 2025-Mar. Idles plant for 2 weeks | Battery part availability | SK On Twin 1 Glendale ramp-up disruption; Lightning production paused two weeks |
| 2025-Q2. Lightning Q2 sales fall ~30% YoY | Demand softness continued | Ford Pro shifts marketing focus to Super Duty Hybrid; Lightning loses share to Cybertruck + Silverado EV |
| 2025-Q3. 2025 full-year production target now ~45,000 | Demand-driven downsizing | Down from peak 90K in 2023; Ford guides Lightning to operate as niche-volume product rather than F-150 replacement |
| Editorial note | Ford Model e structure | Lightning's challenges are the largest single contributor to Ford Model e EBIT losses. Industry consensus: Ford built capacity in advance of customer demand. Next-gen F-Series EV (planned at BlueOval City TN, 2027) is positioned as the financial reset; Lightning continues as lower-volume bridge product. |
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