Ford CEO Claims That ‘Model T Moment’ Is Coming for EVs
Ford's Model T assembly line transformed the auto industry more than 100 years ago. Photo courtesy Ford Motor Co.
DEARBORN, MI—Will history repeat itself? Will there ever be a battery-powered vehicle as transformative as the Model T was more than 100 years ago?
The electric car industry has been waiting for a low-cost, mass-produced vehicle that features a long battery range. Ford Motor Co. has announced that day will be here sooner than later.
In fact, during yesterday’s second quarter financial earnings call, Jim Farley, the automaker’s president and CEO, hinted that big things are coming in less than two weeks.
“We continue to improve the efficiency of our Ford Model e business,” says Farley. “On August 11…we will share more about our plans to design and build a breakthrough electric vehicle and platform in the U.S.
“This [will be] a Model T moment for us…a chance to bring a new family of vehicles to the world that offer incredible technology, efficiency, space and features,” claims Farley.
Ford is already in the process of building BlueOval City, in Stanton, TN. The $5.6 billion project, which will feature two new battery factories and an EV assembly plant when it opens in 2027, is the automaker’s most-anticipated manufacturing facility since the Rouge complex was built more than 100 years ago.
According to Ford, “BlueOval City will usher in a new era for American manufacturing.” The 3,600-acre campus will cover nearly six square miles, including “a supplier park in a vertically integrated system that delivers cost efficiency while minimizing the carbon footprint of the manufacturing process.”
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