Ford has announced that it will be building a $5.6 billion BlueOval City complex outside of Memphis, Tennessee and will include a truck plant capable of producing 500,000 electric vehicles a year.
The first vehicle to be produced from the line will be a next-generation electric truck in 2025. Contruction at the BlueOval City began last year and aims to be a key component towards its goal to sell 2 million EVs annually by late 2026.
“BlueOval City is the blueprint for Ford’s electric future around the world,” Bill Ford, Ford’s executive chair, said in a statement. “We will build revolutionary electric vehicles at an advanced manufacturing site that works in harmony with the planet, aligning business growth and innovation with environmental progress.”
The general assembly footprint will be 30% smaller than traditional plants and hopes to deliver a higher production capacity, according to the company.
The plant will also be using carbon-free electricity and will use recovered energy from the site’s utility infrastructure and geothermal system to provide carbon-free heat for the assembly. Ford has said that this will save about 300 million cubic feet of natural gas.
The automaker is also developing its second-generation EV truck alongside the all-new assembly plant in an effort to increase operating efficiencies.
