By Breana Noble, The Detroit News
Ford Motor Co. is decreasing production of its all-electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck after the new year in Dearborn, according to a report from Automotive News.
“We will continue to match production to customer demand,” spokesperson Jess Enoch said in a statement, declining to provide specifics about changes at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center, which employs 2,200 people.
In its report, Automotive News cited a supplier memo that states the automaker will produce 1,600 vehicles per week. The plant had planned production for double that.
The change is the latest in a series of moves by the Dearborn automaker and others in the industry to pull back on electric vehicle production. Availability of charging stations, charging speeds, grid reliability and EV affordability remain obstacles to mass adoption.
Ford in October said it was cutting $12 billion in planned EV investment as the growth in adoption slows. That included almost halving the size of its west Michigan battery plant in Marshall and delaying by a year the launch of production at one of its two battery plants in Kentucky with SK On. The automaker also cut back production in Mexico of the Mustang Mach-E SUV and has decreased requirements for dealers to be EV-certified in the coming years.
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