The automaker is compelled to recall F-150 Lightning pickup vans over a battery-related challenge.
This is an announcement that Ford might have performed with out.
The automaker mentioned in early March that it will resume manufacturing of its much-watched F-150 Lightning pickup truck, the electrical model of the long-lasting F-150. This resumption of manufacturing got here after a month of interruption, as a consequence of a fireplace associated to the battery.
On Feb. 4, throughout a typical high quality verify, one of many F-150 Lightning in a holding lot displayed a battery challenge and caught fireplace whereas the automobile was charging. The root trigger recognized was associated to the battery cell manufacturing on the SK On plant in Georgia, the corporate mentioned. Ford did not disclose what prompted the fireplace.
SK On is Ford’s battery provider.
“As part of our pre-delivery quality inspections, a vehicle displayed a potential battery issue and we are holding vehicles while we investigate,” the corporate defined on the time. “We are suspending production at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center through at least the end of next week.”
Ford Recalls 18 F-150 Lightning
At the start of March, the Michigan-based firm, the Dearborn, introduced that manufacturing would resume on Mar. 13, i.e. in two days.
“We will restart production at the Rouge Electric Vehicle Center on March 13,” a spokesperson mentioned on the time in an emailed assertion, referring to the Michigan plant the place the pickup truck is manufactured.
Ford (F) – Get Free Report wished to provide sufficient time to its battery provider, SK On, to construct up manufacturing and ship battery packs to the Lightning manufacturing line in Michigan.
But a number of days earlier than the resumption of manufacturing, Ford has simply introduced the recall of the F1-150 Lightning, due to a defect within the battery cell.
“Ford is recalling 18 F-150 Lightnings due to a battery cell manufacturing defect, which occurred over a four-week period starting at the end of last year,” a spokeswoman mentioned in an emailed assertion. “We recently established that 18 vehicles containing cells from that four-week period had made it to dealers and customers.”
The carmaker mentioned that it’s not conscious of any stories of accident or harm associated to this recall.
“Together with SK On, we have confirmed the root causes and have implemented quality actions,” the spokesperson mentioned with out offering further particulars.
Production Will Resume on Mar. 13
The spokeswoman assured that manufacturing of the F-150 Lightning would resume on Mar. 13.
“Production is on track to resume Monday with clean stock of battery packs,” she asserted.
This automobile, the primary pickup truck aimed toward a mass market as a consequence of its value, is being watched intently within the trade, to see if EV adoption past prosperous shoppers is feasible. Ford had greater than 200,000 orders earlier than final month’s incident. When the automaker will be capable of fill these orders and meet this demand is troublesome to estimate.
The manufacturing of the F-150 Lightning began final yr. The automobile is being manufactured in small numbers, between 2,000 and a pair of,400 items per thirty days.
Ford, which additionally produces the electrical sport utility automobile Mustang Mach-E and the E-Transit, mentioned on Mar. 2 that it bought simply 1,336 items final month, bringing the full to three,600 automobiles this yr.
In all, Ford has delivered 19,217 F-150 Lightning automobiles to its prospects. .
The F-150 Lightning pickup truck is without doubt one of the few benefits that the model, with the Blue Oval mega campus, has over Tesla (TSLA) – Get Free Report. Elon Musk’s group will not be presently current within the electrical pickup truck section; its first mannequin on this worthwhile area is anticipated later this yr. That’s the Cybertruck, a automobile with its distinctive futuristic design.
Source: www.thestreet.com