Amid waning interest in EVs, Ford’s BlueOval City delay raises concerns
Kel Kearns, former plant manager of BlueOval City, test drives a Ford F-150 Lightning truck around Downtown Memphis. Ford Motor Co. announced it will delay the launch of its Tennessee-made electric truck, code-named “Project T3,” until the second half of 2027. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian file)
Few people believe Ford Motor Co. will abandon its part of the $5.6 billion BlueOval City project underway about 40 miles from Memphis, but news that production on a new electric truck has been delayed for more than a year has caused some consternation in West Tennessee.
Ford planned to start assembly of the electric truck, called “Project T3,” in 2025 and deliver to customers in 2026. Now, both assembly and delivery are delayed until the second half of 2027, Ford announced Wednesday, Aug. 21.
BlueOval City, announced in September 2021, is a massive site under construction in Stanton, Tenn., that is expected to eventually cover more than 6 square miles.
Ford delays launch of Tennessee-built EV truck to 2027
It includes Ford’s BlueOval project as well as BlueOval SK, a partnership between Ford and the South Korean company SK that will manufacture electric batteries for Ford vehicles.
BlueOval City is expected to employ as many as 6,000 people between both sites.
“Any delay is not good news,” said John Gnuschke, a retired economics professor at the University of Memphis and the former director of the school’s Sparks Bureau of Business and Economic Research. “So, obviously, that’s not a good thing.
“It obviously seems like that it’s not high priority,” Gnuschke said. “It’s not a high-priority project to get underway or they wouldn’t be delaying it.”
This delay follows other concerning news regarding both Americans’ interest in electric vehicles and Ford’s production of them.
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BlueOval City Ford Motor Co. Electric Vehicle all-electric trucks Subscriber OnlyThank you for supporting local journalism.
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Jody Callahan
Jody Callahan graduated with degrees in journalism and economics from what is now known as the University of Memphis. He has covered news in Memphis for more than 25 years.
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