Ford throws Henry Ford’s assembly line to make low-cost electric cars in the United States
Ford said on Monday it will invest $2 billion to transform its Louisville parliamentary plant into a factory that can build a new generation of affordable electric vehicles, starting with a midsize pickup truck with a base price of $30,000, which is scheduled to launch in 2027.
This is not a standard factory upgrade. To reduce manufacturing costs, Ford has overturned the mobile assembly line system launched by its founder Henry Ford 112 years ago.
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The automaker’s willingness to change the system of the century that made Ford a household name reflects juggling juggling, the sale of a range of affordable electric cars that could be manufactured faster and more efficiently in the United States, while retaining profit margins, they have fewer parts. As Ford’s chief electric car, digital and design officer Doug Field pointed out on Monday, this is not only about reducing personal costs, but also allowing automakers to compete with China.
Ford CEO Jim Farley described the new production system, electric vehicle lines and $2 billion investment as bets.
“There is no guarantee for this project,” he said. “We did a lot of new things and I can’t tell you with 100% uncertainty that it will all be right, it’s a bet. There are risks.”
The bet started a few years ago on the Skunkworks team of about 500 people in California, led by former Tesla executive Alan Clarke and filled with talent from companies like Tesla, Rivian, Apple and Lucid Motors. The team is divided into Palo Alto and a new office in Long Beach, and has developed a new production system and a base vehicle platform that will be used at the Louisville plant.
The end result is what Ford calls a “universal production system,” which changes its single conveyor line to three assembly trees. Ford also developed a general electric vehicle platform that will use lithium phosphate batteries using Chinese CATL’s technology and manufacture at its new $3 billion Blue Val Battery Park plant in Michigan. The factory is expected to go online in 2026 and will employ 1,700 hours of workers.
The new EV platform will consist of large single-piece aluminum unicasts, which use fewer parts and allow the front and rear forces of the vehicle to assemble separately on both branches. The third branch is perhaps the most noteworthy. This is where the structural battery will be equipped with seats, console and carpet. These three components combine the ends of the line together to form a vehicle.
