Ford has provided an update on the progress of its forthcoming BlueOvalCity plant in West Tennessee, where a new electric truck codenamed Project T3 will be produced.
Expected to commence production in 2025, the new facility represents a joint investment of $5.6 billion (€5.1 billion) between the OEM and SK On. At launch, the plant will be one of Ford’s first carbon neutral manufacturing and battery campuses – with the OEM working to leverage renewable, carbon-free, electricity at its plants around the world by 2035. Following this launch, the plant will too play a key role in Ford’s plan to scale EV production as it works to make EVs more accessible to more of its customers. Including BlueOvalCity, the automaker is targeting a production run rate of 2 million EVs annually across the globe by late 2026.
In addition to its carbon-free electricity, the plant will also leverage recovered energy from its utility infrastructure and geothermal system to provide carbon-free heat for the assembly plant. A new utility system continues Ford’s focus on sustainability at BlueOvalCity, saving water by reducing evaporation from the cooling towers, and a zero-waste-to-landfill site designed to use no fresh water for its assembly processes. Ford also intends to develop a holistic stormwater management system separate from the water table to help protect the local environment.
In addition to its vehicle manufacturing plant, the BlueOvalCity campus will also have a fully integrated BlueOval SK battery manufacturing site. Here, battery cells and arrays will be built and assembled before being delivered to the site’s assembly plant. An on-site supplier park and an upfit center will similarly support key manufacturing operations, producing robotically installed spray-in bedliners and integrated toolboxes before Ford’s pickups are launched to dealers and customers.
While details on the Project T3 truck have yet to be revealed, Ford is developing the second-generation EV in tandem with BlueOvalCity. In doing so, it is looking to enhance the efficiency of its manufacturing practices with the EV while delivering increased production capacity. Short for ‘Trust the Truck’, the new vehicle will offer a truck-centric, digital-first, user experience – with fully updatable features, consistent improvement upgrades, and support for towing, hauling, and exportable power.
