Ford Motor Co. is scrapping plans to manufacture a next-generation electric pickup truck at BlueOval City in West Tennessee, looking instead to gas-powered pickup trucks with more stable paths to profit.
The auto manufacturer will begin producing gas-powered Built Ford Tough truck models at its renamed Tennessee Truck Plant in 2029, according to a Monday news release. The facility was previously called the Tennessee Electric Vehicle Center.
“Ford no longer plans to produce select larger electric vehicles where the business case has eroded due to lower-than-expected demand, high costs and regulatory changes,” the release states.
When Ford first announced the plant in 2021, it promised 5,760 new jobs in exchange for a nearly $1 billion state economic incentive package for the site, which was originally slated to begin producing electric pickup trucks in 2025. About 3,000 of those workers were expected to work at Ford’s vehicle manufacturing facility, and the remaining workers would be employed at a battery plant that was once jointly owned by Ford and is now owned and operated by South Korean battery manufacturer SK On.
Ford currently employs 80 people at its facility and anticipates employing 2,300 people there to support production of gas-powered trucks, Ford spokesperson Jessica Enoch said Wednesday. SK On stated on Dec. 11 that the start of production at the battery plant “remains flexible” as plant ownership transitions from BlueOval SK, Ford and SK On’s former joint venture. Prior to the split, BlueOval SK reported having 350 employees at the Tennessee facility in September.