(The Center Square) – One day after announcing it would use $1 billion in taxpayer subsidies to build a new electric vehicle battery plant in Michigan, Ford Motor Company on Tuesday halted production of its F-150 Lightning EV pickup because of a potential battery issue.
Motor Authority broke the news on Tuesday that Ford issued a stop-build and an in-transit stop-ship order for the F-150 Lightning. Ford spokeswoman Emma Bergg, in an email to The Center Square, confirmed the report.
“We are suspending production at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center through at least the end of next week,” Bergg wrote in her message. “During a standard Lightning pre-delivery quality inspection, one vehicle displayed a battery issue. We believe we have identified the root cause of this issue. By the end of next week, we expect to conclude our investigation and apply what we learn to the truck’s battery production process; this could take a few weeks. We will continue holding already-produced vehicles while we work through engineering and process updates.”
Bergg noted the stop-ship order does not mean stop-sale for F-150 Lightnings already on the road or in dealership showrooms. Ford has not said when it plans to rescind its stop orders.
“We are not aware of any incidents of this issue in the field and do not believe F-150 Lightnings already in customers’ hands are affected by this issue,” Bergg added.
The Center Square on Monday reported Ford will build lithium iron phosphate batteries in the projected $3.5 billion BlueOval Battery Park the company will build in Marshall, just outside of Battle Creek and about 100 miles west of its Dearborn headquarters. State incentives include a $210 million Critical Industry Program grant from Michigan’s Strategic Outreach and Attraction Reserve Fund; $772 million in Renaissance Zone property; a real tax exemption over 15 years; and a $36 million loan.
Ford began production of the F-150 Lightning EV in April 2022 at its Dearborn-based Rouge Electric Vehicle Center. The automaker ramped up production last fall to build up to 150,000 vehicles that sell between $58,000 for the XLT model and $97,000 for the Platinum edition.
One of Ford’s stated goals for the BlueOval Battery Park is to develop processes and technologies to lower the sticker price of EVs for consumers.
The Center Square also reported on Tuesday that Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio has asked U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen, U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, and U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg to form immediately a Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States to review the licensing agreement between Ford and Chinese-owned Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited.
