FORD CEO JIM FARLEY CONFIRMS NEXT ELECTRIC TRUCK WILL BE BUILT IN TENNESSEE

During Ford’s Livestream kickoff event to start F-150 Lightning production, CEO Jim Farley mentioned that another electric truck would be on the way. So we can expect a “different” truck coming out of the automaker’s upcoming Tennessee manufacturing facility. This upcoming electric vehicle is likely a Ford Ranger EV, perhaps a Ford Ranger Lightning, based on the product cadence of what’s to come.

Electric Ford Ranger Most Likely Possible

We know that the new electric pickup won’t be a heavy-duty model of the F-Series truck, as Ford has made it clear that there aren’t any immediate plans to build a fully electric F-Series Super Duty any time in the near future. However, we know that Ford Motor Company has teamed up with Volkswagen to assist with fast-tracking the development of an electric version of the Amarok, which will be an architectural twin to the new T6.2 Ford Ranger.

A plug-in hybrid version of the new Ford Ranger has already been spotted testing in Europe, which is where the model will initially launch. A Volkswagen executive recently told Australia’s Drive that the company is already looking ahead to an electric Amarok, and that the frame of the T6.2 platform can support a set of battery packs to underpin a full EV. Ford engineers have also confirmed that the updated Ranger platform can accommodate electrification.

This isn’t the first time Farley has hinted at plans for a new battery-electric pickup truck separate from the Ford F-150 Lightning. Last December, it was made clear that this next-generation electric truck would utilize a new platform and, in turn, would be unrelated to the Ford F-150 Lightning. Farley has confirmed they will build this new truck at BlueOval City, a massive, multi-billion complex that’s so big it’s in two states: Tennessee and Kentucky.