Ford delays EV plans to make more Super Duty trucks as demand booms
AB: That the US is still playing around with costly old technology and pollutes the environment is unbelievable. In the end, it will come back and haunt the later generations as energy and resources become more expensive.
Ford Motor Co. is ramping up production of its F-Series Super Duty pickups with a $3 billion investment to keep up with the explosive demand for the trucks.
The Detroit automaker plans put around $2.3 billion of that investment into its Oakville Assembly Complex in Ontario, Canada, which had been making the Edge SUV until May. Beginning this summer, Ford will begin installing new equipment at the complex and aims to produce the current generation Super Duty in 2026.
The automaker will also invest $24 million into its Sharonville, Ohio, plant, $1 million into its Rawsonville, Michigan, plant and add about 50 new jobs to its Sterling Axle Plant in Michigan, to support Super Duty Production. Overall, 20,000 American workers across five states will be employed to work on the trucks.
The investment will add production capacity of up to 100,000 trucks across the company’s plants in Kentucky, Ohio, and Canada. The Ohio Assembly Plant and Kentucky Truck plant made more than 200,000 Super Duty trucks during the first half of 2024.
CEO Jim Farley said in a statement.
“Super Duty is a vital tool for businesses and people around the world and, even with our Kentucky Truck Plant and Ohio Assembly Plant running flat out, we can’t meet the demand. This move benefits our customers and supercharges our Ford Pro commercial business.”
AB: The only thing this does is promote the extension of an era of dinosaur products in a dinosaur industry
Ford had previously planned to invest $1.3 billion into the plant to produce a new three-row electric SUV, which was delayed to 2027 from 2025. The investment allows for union-represented workers to return to work a year ahead of schedule, according to Unifor, and secures 1,800 jobs. The Oakville complex will produce both gas-powered and electric Super Duty trucks later in the decade.
The announcement comes weeks after Farley said during a festival that Ford will focus on smaller EVs and told CNBC that “big, huge, enormous, they’re never going to make money,” referring to models like the Super Duty trucks.
AB: I am going to guess Farley is discussing Electric versions of the F-Series Super Duty pickups. Nobody wants a vehicle which does not make a lot of noise and says, “Look at me.” Gotta quit subsidizing the oil and gasoline industry.
Ford’s electric business, the “Model e” unit, lost $4.7 billion in 2023, while the Ford Pro division — which includes the Super Duty trucks — recorded $7.2 billion in revenue, more than double what it made in 2022.
Ford Pro CEO Ted Cannis said in a statement.
“There is durable demand for Super Duty from Ford Pro customers as spending on infrastructure and related construction activity remains high. Unlocking Super Duty volume will also support businesses and tradespeople who rely on these trucks and first responders who serve their communities.”
Ford stock jumped almost 2% in trading Thursday morning.
“Ford delays EV plans to make more Super Duty trucks as demand booms,” Quartz
Yep. This is the sort of thing that makes obvious the need for some mix of carbon capture and geoengineering if the world is to avoid climate change catastrophe. It is hopelessly naive to believe that cutting global demand for fossil fuel can happen fast enough.
I’m amazed at how they are being afforded. With that, here is Volvo:
I think the US manufacturers better wake up. As I’ve posted before, Volvo is serious about electric everything.
Also, I find it funny how the “third row seat” is now a thing in SUV’s. I mean, the mini van always had it and you could get them in 4wd. The originator of the mini van is only producing 1 and it’s the Chrysler line. A luxury model. No longer a Dodge.
Three row SUV have been around a long time, but in the large SUV category…..Suburbans, Expedtions. Full-sized pick-ups in SUV configuration. At 6 PAX minivan has similar comfort. For whatever reason, minivan manufacturers really pushed the “2 Captain Seat” second row. It’s pretty easy to pull those seats if you need a cargo mission, so it is useful, but with a 7 PAX mission in 2/2/3, the third row became insufficient as the kids grew up. The 2/3/2 in the Expedition still works though. Smaller SUVs with 3 rows are good for smaller families with some full PAX missions….little league practice carpooling with 45 minute max times and frequently just one adult. Stuff like that. I also think it helps resale values.
F-150 EV is a case study in marketing fail. Image wrong.
Telsa pick up looks good with a machine gun! Maybe better market cases.
Current battery tech is problem! Suggests lease the vehicle, battery degrade guts resale.
I am retired, won’t have EV. Can’t justify setting charging in home, too much investment, and I won’t go to charger several times a week to hang around for 40 minutes.
Note the Volvo is for local deliveries. In winter the driver can siesta at the charger half the time.
Investing in popular products that generate a big part of your firm’s profits seems like a relatively easy decision. Beyond the scope of Ford’s thinking on this, I don’t sense this as a really significant negative development. The transition to a non-carbon electrical generation system is more important and this decision should not impact that as there is so much work to do this transition on existing electricity demand. Delaying transportation electrical demand for a full invest and produce cycle won’t be a drag on decreasing carbon in the timeframe this transition will probably fully occur. I think it’s natural to concentrate on terrestrial transportation since it is so visible and has such a high number of people directly participating, but I do think it is a suboptimal priority now and likely for a couple decades more. Take all the talent and resources (apart from basic research maybe) working to get a vehicle charging network in place and get them working on generation and distribution transition, which is going to be the foundation for so much.
betcha if Iran successfully blocks the Strait of Hormuz and oil goes to $200 they won’t sell many of those…