Ford Motor has announced plans to reduce production of its electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck, Reuters reports.
Starting April 1, Ford will be reducing production at its Michigan Rouge Electric Vehicle Center to one shift, following an announcement this past October that it would be temporarily suspending one of three shifts at the plant.
At its Michigan assembly plant, a third crew and almost 900 jobs will be added to advance production of the gas-powered Bronco SUV and Ranger pickup.
Roughly 1,400 workers at the Rouge EV Center will be affected by the reduction of shifts. Around 700 of them will be transferred to the Michigan assembly plant, with the remainder being placed in various positions at the Rogue Complex and other Michigan facilities. Workers also have the option to enter into Ford’s special retirement program.
For those working at component plants for the F-150 Lightning, it’s predicted that a few dozen of them will be impacted by the change.
Ford has been displaying signs of slowing EV production for a while. In December, the automaker told suppliers that beginning in January, it would produce around 1,600 F-150 Lightning trucks per week–only about half of the 3,200 trucks Ford initially planned on producing.
Though Ford still expects EV sales to grow in 2024, it’s reevaluating how high that growth may be. In October, the company said it would be focusing its investments on its commercial vehicle unit and plans to increase gas-electric hybrid vehicle sales four-fold in the next five years.
