INSIDE THE HENRY FORD
FORD ROUGE FACTORY TOUR
SPARKING NEW EXPERIENCES Progress in Ford’s electrification plans spills over to factory tour LAST SPRING, FORD MOTOR COMPANY unveiled the Ford F-150 Lightning, its first-ever all-electric, battery-powered light-duty truck. That vehicle is scheduled to start production soon — in spring 2022 — at the all-new Rouge Electric Vehicle Center on the Ford Rouge Complex — in easy view, in fact, of the Dearborn Truck Plant, the manufacturing base of the gas-powered and hybrid F-150 models and the home of The Henry Ford’s Ford Rouge Factory Tour experience. With the new electric vehicle center built and the Lightning set to debut, the tour is also on track to receive a few related updates that are sure to excite visitors, shared Cynthia Jones, The Henry Ford’s director of museum experiences and engagement. In the works: the addition of a “sled,” or rolling chassis (the chassis of a vehicle assembled together with the engine and drivetrain but without bodywork), of the Lightning to the tour experience. “We want our guests to be able to see the battery technology close up, with no barriers, so we can teach them about this new innovation,” said Jones.
ONLINE For the most up-to-date information, hours and pricing for the Ford Rouge Factory Tour, visit thf.org/rougec
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Another future item: The installation of a mock home living room that is completely powered by a battery-electric F-150. “We want to demonstrate the ‘what’s possible’ when a storm hits and how your truck could actually help you power your home,” explained Jones. “It really takes us beyond vehicles just for mobility. I love this latest thinking on the battery-electric vehicle as a power plant that can help you in an emergency, on a job site or when doing things like camping.” The Ford Rouge Factory Tour crew is always excited to share the ever-evolving narrative of the F-150 with guests, reminding everyone that much of the soon-to-debut Lightning’s functionality is also possible with the 2021 F-150 PowerBoost Hybrid that is now being built at the tour’s home base, the Dearborn Truck Plant. “Ford continually looks at how customers use their trucks for work and play,” said Jones. “While the hybrid might not offer 3-10 days of power for your house, it’s a workhorse powering tools right from the back bed — and it gives you up to a 700-mile range per fill-up. I’d love to road-trip in one of these.”
FORD E-NEWS The coming-soon Ford F-150 Lightning being built on the Ford Rouge Complex is just one of Ford Motor Company’s iconic products being electrified. The Ford Mustang and Transit are also on the electrification list, with others to come from the automaker in the near future. The all-electric Mustang Mach-E has already been on the road for some time. It won the 2021 North American SUV of the Year Award, plus Car and Driver’s first Electric Vehicle of the Year Award, among others. Meanwhile, the E-Transit — an all-electric version of America’s best-selling van — just hit the streets in late 2021. Ford is investing $22 billion in electrification through 2025, delivering more of what customers love about electric vehicles: performance, capability and productivity.
— JENNIFER LAFORCE
DID YOU KNOW? / When the all-electric Ford F-150 Lightning was unveiled on May 19, 2021, it received 20,000 reservations within the first 12 hours. By early November 2021, preorders topped 160,000.
