Ford pauses production and shipments of F-150 Lightning over potential battery issue

[Shawn Knight]

What just happened? Ford has halted production and shipments of its all-electric pickup truck, the Ford F-150 Lightning. Ford spokesperson Emma Bergg told CNBC that during a pre-delivery quality inspection, a vehicle displayed a potential battery issue. As a result, the automaker has paused production and shipments to conduct a root cause analysis.

Bergg added that Ford is unaware of any incidents related to the issue in the field, nor has a stop sale order been issued for vehicles already on dealer lots. The latter admission seems to suggest the issue might not be too terribly serious or a safety hazard. If it were dangerous, Ford likely would have halted sales as well.

Batteries for the new Lightning are produced by SK On, a South Korean supplier with no previous production issues.

A production hiccup with the Lightning is the last thing Ford wants to be dealing with right now. According to The New York Times, Ford is the largest producer of EVs in the US behind Tesla. The company has more than 200,000 reservations for the EV pickup but has been unable to increase production beyond 2,000 to 2,400 trucks per month. At that rate, it would take nearly seven years for Ford to catch up on current reservations.

Earlier this week, Ford announced plans to invest $3.5 billion to build a lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery plant in Marshall, Michigan. The facility, dubbed BlueOval Battery Park Michigan, will initially employ 2,500 people once production gets under way in 2026.

LFP batteries will be offered as an alternative to nickel cobalt manganese (NCM) batteries, which each having unique benefits. According to Ford, materials for LFP batteries are more readily available, making them less expensive to produce. They are also more durable and tolerant to frequent and faster charging. Conversely, NCM batteries can generate more energy and power, and perform better in cold weather.

Bergg told CNBC that Ford does not have a timeline for when production and shipments might resume.

Shares in Ford are down 1.62 percent as of writing.

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https://www.techspot.com/news/97619-ford-pauses-production-shipments-f-150-lightning-over.html

 

[AlaskaGuy]

Why anyone would purchase a battery powered pickup is beyond me.

 

[axiomatic13]

Why anyone would purchase a battery powered pickup is beyond me.

I own one. My favorite truck ever. What's more, I own a small oil and gas company in Texas as well.

 

[SilentMajority]

Why anyone would purchase a battery powered pickup is beyond me.

nobody's perfect.

 

[Ohnooze]

Just the beginning. Will be some time before they get everything ironed out I'm sure.

Why anyone would purchase a battery powered pickup is beyond me.

I don't think I would buy any powered vehicle atm to be honest. This truck is supposed to be a beast though. Will be interesting to see how it does in everyday use.

 

[Dunkerton]

Just the beginning. Will be some time before they get everything ironed out I'm sure.


I don't think I would buy any powered vehicle atm to be honest. This truck is supposed to be a beast though. Will be interesting to see how it does in everyday use.

it's great if you only need to haul things a few blocks over in your neighborhood. other than that, its range is abysmal

 

[axiomatic13]

it's great if you only need to haul things a few blocks over in your neighborhood. other than that, its range is abysmal

Its range is 300 miles. More with a tonneau cover which I have. Costs me nothing to charge it either as I have solar on my roof.

 

[paul1122]

Its range is 300 miles. More with a tonneau cover which I have. Costs me nothing to charge it either as I have solar on my roof.

Must be a very large roof on your house.

 

[Dunkerton]

Its range is 300 miles. More with a tonneau cover which I have. Costs me nothing to charge it either as I have solar on my roof.

Doesn't it take 40 - 45 minutes to charge the thing from 15% to like 80%? I assume you would need to plan your trips around the charge times.

 

[axiomatic13]

Doesn't it take 40 - 45 minutes to charge the thing from 15% to like 80%? I assume you would need to plan your trips around the charge times.

30 minutes from 15% to 80%. It's an 80 amp charger. I only plug it in when the sun is out and I am producing more energy than I am consuming. If I am feeding into the grid, whatever I am using at the time is free.

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Its range is 300 miles. More with a tonneau cover which I have. Costs me nothing to charge it either as I have solar on my roof.

*Ahem*

No, the stock range is 230 miles. To get the 335 mile range, one must opt for the larger battery pack, which as of now is only available on xlt and up trims tarting at $78k.

This also the empty range, in perfect weather. Realistic highway range when tested is closer to 290 miles. Unloaded. Put a nice 4000 lbs trailer behind it and range drops to under 100 miles unless you want to play the single digit range game.

 

[fraggleki]

Why anyone would purchase a battery powered pickup is beyond me.

As long as you aren't road tripping your truck, electric is the way to go.

More Torque
Instant Power
Lower Center of Gravity (Safety)

 

[Dunkerton]

30 minutes from 15% to 80%. It's an 80 amp charger. I only plug it in when the sun is out and I am producing more energy than I am consuming. If I am feeding into the grid, whatever I am using at the time is free.


View attachment 88864

Whoa, good info! Thanks for going through the trouble to show all this. Also nice freakin house! I'm working my way up to these kind of goals.

 

[axiomatic13]

*Ahem*

No, the stock range is 230 miles. To get the 335 mile range, one must opt for the larger battery pack, which as of now is only available on xlt and up trims tarting at $78k.

This also the empty range, in perfect weather. Realistic highway range when tested is closer to 290 miles. Unloaded. Put a nice 4000 lbs trailer behind it and range drops to under 100 miles unless you want to play the single digit range game.

I do have an extended battery. I have the Lariat.

 

[Ohnooze]

I'm very curious to see how they will handle charging when everyone is driving electric vehicles. The number of vehicles that go through a gas station within an hour or so is pretty dang high. How will that work when they all need to sit there for 15 to 30 minutes....no worries....I'm sure pete buttigieg is all over it. **hardcore sarcasm**

 

[Impudicus]

If only they could power the cars with the tears of the slaves who make it all possible.

 

[axiomatic13]

If only they could power the cars with the tears of the slaves who make it all possible.

Total fail, buddy. Elon buys lithium from China. Ford buys its lithium from ioneer Ltd's (INR.AX) Rhyolite Ridge mining project in Nevada.

 

[rsmith222]

Its temporary range is 300 miles.

FIFY.

The biggest problem I have with EVs is that the batteries lose range.