Ford will double electric F-150 Lightning production to meet huge demand

Ford's new all-electric F-150 Lightning has become a hit before it even reaches showrooms, with Dearborn insiders claiming the new truck's production is to be doubled.

In an interview with Reuters, a number of unnamed figures within the F-150 Lightning's production supply chain said Ford had doubled its targets from 40,000 by 2024 to 80,000 – calling for an extra US$850million (AU$1.173bn) investment from the second-largest manufacturer in the United States.

With the first-generation F-150 Lightning set to launch next year, Ford's adjusted target is still half of its annual production aims for the second-generation F-150 Lightning, going into production from 2025 on a new EV platform.

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In a statement to Reuters, Ford said the adjusted 80,000 figure was still lower than its customer reservations for the EV pick-up.

"We are excited with customer demand for the F-150 Lightning and already have 120,000 customer reservations, and we will continue to look for ways to break constraints and meet customer demand," Ford said.

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The additional funds are a drop in the ocean compared to Ford's US$30bn (AU$38.6bn) investment in electric and autonomous vehicles by 2025, up from an initial commitment of US$22bn (AU$30bn) at the start of 2021.

Independent of the United States Government – which is pushing for US manufacturers to produce 40 per cent EVs by 2030 – Ford has already predicted fully-electric vehicles will account for around 40 per cent of sales by the same time, with the F-150 Lightning likely to account for a significant share.

Despite an overall drop in vehicle sales last year globally, the internal combustion engine powered F-150 sold in excess of 787,000 units, remaining as the best-selling truck in America for the 44th year running.