A manufacturing cease for the electrical Ford Lightning F-150 has been prolonged for at the very least one other week.
Ford’s Rouge Electrical Automobile Middle in Dearborn, Michigan was shut down roughly two weeks in the past following a battery fireplace in a Lightning pickup that had been parked in a holding lot. Two different autos had been broken by the blaze. Nobody was injured.
Ford initially deliberate to maintain the plant closed till the tip of final week however has now prolonged that closure on behalf of their battery manufacturing companion, SK. A press release issued from Ford on Wednesday reads:
“The groups labored rapidly to determine the basis explanation for the difficulty. We agree with SK’s beneficial modifications of their tools and processes for SK’s cell manufacturing traces. SK has began constructing battery cells once more in Commerce, Georgia. It’ll 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 Middle will droop manufacturing by way of the tip of this week, and we’ll proceed to offer updates.”
[Related: Test drive: Charging can make or break the F-150 Lightning]
The Ford F-150 Lightning is powered by a lithium-ion battery made partly with nickel and cobalt. A number of OEMs, together with Ford, have introduced plans to change to much less unstable and more cost effective lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4 or LFP).
Hearth hazard testing from the Division of Transportation revealed “of all the lithium-ion cells that had been examined, LiFePO4 [also known as LFP] could be thought of the most secure cathode materials due to the comparatively low temperature rise and the ensuing low probability for thermal runaway to propagate.”
Cummins, which has been creating all-electric powertrains, revealed on its web site that LFP batteries “include decrease manufacturing prices and are simpler to provide than different Li-Ion and lead-acid battery sorts.”
Ford plans on utilizing LFP batteries to energy Lightning and its different EVs in 2024.
