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Ford has made some progress with electric vehicles, but we haven’t seen a big push to go all-electric. Nevertheless, Ford will change that rather soon with the launch of a new EV platform in 2025. The TE1 platform will underpin the next-generation F-150 Lightning, the next Bronco EV, and the Ford Ranger Lightning.
Despite bold statements by CEO Jim Farley, Ford has yet to demonstrate its willingness to go all-in with electric vehicles. The Mustang Mach-E and the F-150 Lightning are great EVs, but their volumes are too small to matter in a market turning increasingly electric. Meanwhile, Ford’s archrival GM is gearing up for an all-electric future, investing dozens of billions in production facilities for electric vehicles and batteries. Ford is poised to make a move if it doesn’t want to be left behind in an industry that seems to have placed all bets on an electric future.
According to a recent report by AutoForecast Solutions, Ford will change its strategy on the electric-vehicle front. After all, that’s why it’s building the massive BlueOval City complex in Tennessee. The new production facility dedicated to electric vehicles and batteries will come online in 2025, with the second generation of the Ford F-150 Lightning as its first product.
The electric pickup truck will be built on a new dedicated EV platform that goes under the TE1 name. Although the F-150 Lightning II and the TE1 platform were initially planned to launch in 2024, new information indicates that their premiere has been delayed by a year. Per our sources, the next-generation F-150 Lightning is now scheduled to start production at Ford’s BlueOval City on August 18, 2025. The TE1 is a flexible platform that will allow Ford to build not only the F-150 Lightning, but also SUVs and vans, similar to how GM’s Ultium platform underpins a comprehensive range of electric vehicles.
The Ford F-150 Lightning II will be followed by the next-generation e-Transit in February 2026. Although sharing the same platform, the e-Transit will not be assembled at BlueOval City, but in Ohio. This tells us that Ford expects the F-150 Lightning’s production to ramp up slowly, with little capacity for additional products. Nevertheless, in 2029, Ford will finally expand its EV range with electric versions of the Bronco and Ranger, both built on the TE1 platform at BlueOval City.
The first to enter production will be the electric Ranger in August 2029. Based on previous patent filings, we expect this to be called Ranger Lightning. Then, three months later, the Bronco EV will also debut alongside the eighth generation of the off-roader. While electric versions will roll off the assembly lines of BlueOval City in Tennessee, the ICE versions of both vehicles will continue to be assembled at Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne.
According to a recent report by AutoForecast Solutions, Ford will change its strategy on the electric-vehicle front. After all, that’s why it’s building the massive BlueOval City complex in Tennessee. The new production facility dedicated to electric vehicles and batteries will come online in 2025, with the second generation of the Ford F-150 Lightning as its first product.
The electric pickup truck will be built on a new dedicated EV platform that goes under the TE1 name. Although the F-150 Lightning II and the TE1 platform were initially planned to launch in 2024, new information indicates that their premiere has been delayed by a year. Per our sources, the next-generation F-150 Lightning is now scheduled to start production at Ford’s BlueOval City on August 18, 2025. The TE1 is a flexible platform that will allow Ford to build not only the F-150 Lightning, but also SUVs and vans, similar to how GM’s Ultium platform underpins a comprehensive range of electric vehicles.
The Ford F-150 Lightning II will be followed by the next-generation e-Transit in February 2026. Although sharing the same platform, the e-Transit will not be assembled at BlueOval City, but in Ohio. This tells us that Ford expects the F-150 Lightning’s production to ramp up slowly, with little capacity for additional products. Nevertheless, in 2029, Ford will finally expand its EV range with electric versions of the Bronco and Ranger, both built on the TE1 platform at BlueOval City.
The first to enter production will be the electric Ranger in August 2029. Based on previous patent filings, we expect this to be called Ranger Lightning. Then, three months later, the Bronco EV will also debut alongside the eighth generation of the off-roader. While electric versions will roll off the assembly lines of BlueOval City in Tennessee, the ICE versions of both vehicles will continue to be assembled at Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne.
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