Ford Lightning manufacturing to stay halted for an additional week

Ford has prolonged a manufacturing shutdown of its all-electric Ford Lightning pickup truck by one other week.

Ford initially paused manufacturing and shipments of the Ford Lightning on February attributable to a possible battery concern and a day after a battery hearth. Ford and its battery cell manufacturing associate SK have recognized the issue, the automaker instructed TechCrunch.

Ford mentioned in a press release that it agrees with SK’s advisable modifications in its gear and processes for cell manufacturing strains.

“SK has began constructing battery cells once more in Commerce, Georgia,” Ford mentioned in a press release emailed to TechCrunch. “It’s going to take SK time to make sure they’re again to constructing high-quality cells and to ship them to the Lightning manufacturing line. Ford’s Rouge Electrical Automobile Heart will droop manufacturing by the top of subsequent week, and we’ll proceed to supply updates.”

The corporate confirmed that in a typical Lightning pre-delivery high quality test, one automobile displayed a battery concern and caught hearth on February 4. Manufacturing was stopped the next day.

“We’ve got no purpose to imagine F-150 Lightnings already in prospects’ fingers are affected by this concern,” an organization spokesperson mentioned in an e-mail. Ford Lightning autos in seller heaps are nonetheless on the market, the corporate confirmed.

The Ford Lightning launched lower than a yr in the past and is being carefully watched by shareholders and business analysts. Ford CEO Jim Farley has admitted that the corporate has struggled to maintain prices in test attributable to inefficiencies and plenty of recollects which have plagued different fashions. There has solely been one recall for the Ford Lightning that was associated to a tire stress sensor. Ford has but to concern a recall or discover related to the battery concern recognized by engineers.