Tesla can boast about being the top selling electric vehicle company in the world after delivering 1.3 million vehicles in 2022 and finishing the first half of 2023 with 889,000 EVs delivered through June 30. The company is on target to hit its goal of 1.8 million delivered this year.
But the Austin, Texas EV maker also wants to be the top selling electric pickup truck company once it starts selling the Cybertruck, most likely delivered later this month.
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Tesla will have to contend with Rivian and Ford, as Rivian had the best-selling all-electric pickup truck in 2022, selling 20,332 of its R1T vehicles, while Ford's F-150 Lightning EV came in second with 15,617 pickups sold.
Ford positions to compete with Tesla, Rivian
Ford (F) -) is not only positioning itself to compete with leading electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla (TSLA) -) in the industry, but it also is seeking to dethrone the leading EV pickup truck maker Rivian (RIVN) -). It also seeks to remain ahead of Tesla in pickup truck sales with its F-150 Lightning and future products.
In March 2023, Ford unveiled its plan to build its next generation electric pickup truck, which it named Project T3, that CEO Jim Farley said would be "a once in a lifetime opportunity to revolutionize America's truck" by combining a century of truck know-how with world-class electric vehicle, software and aerodynamics talent.
Ford's plan includes building its new truck at its state-of-the-art BlueOval City all-new mega-campus in West Tennessee, that will be designed as the company's first carbon neutral vehicle manufacturing and battery facility. The truck plant, in which the automaker and SK are investing $5.6 billion, will be capable of producing 500,000 electric trucks each year at full production and employ about 6,000 workers. The company is targeting 2025 to begin production at the new plant, where its second-generation electric truck will be built.
The 3,600-acre campus has a fully integrated BlueOval SK battery manufacturing plant on site. The facility will build battery cells and arrays and assemble battery packs that will be delivered just across the campus into the assembly plant, in less than 30 minutes.
BlueOval City will have an on-site supplier park and will have an upfit center capable of adding in dozens of Ford trucks’ most popular features – including robotically installed spray-in bedliners and integrated tool boxes before the pickups are released to dealers and customers, the company said.
The BlueOval campus also has an on-site Lowe’s store supplying building materials, two construction equipment rental companies and three concrete batch plants.
Project T3, which is short for "Trust The Truck, adopts a single guiding principle "to create a truck people can trust in the digital age – one that’s fully updatable, constantly improving, and supports towing, hauling, exportable power and endless new innovations owners will want," a March company statement said.
Ford
Ford gets ready for a new electric model
Ford might already be putting its Project T3 plan in motion, as it on Aug. 28 filed for an F-200 trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark office, InsideEVs reported. The trademark is intended for “Motor vehicles, namely gasoline and electric automobiles, pick-up trucks, sport utility vehicles, and their structural parts,” the Patent and Trademark office states.
It seems logical that the F-200 trademark filing would be connected to the Project T3 efforts, as the project's vehicle is currently unnamed and will be unveiled in 2025 as the BlueOval plant opens for production.
