By Kindyl Jones - KC SmartPort intern, Northland CAPS student
Technology is always evolving. Kumar Galhotra, president of The Americas & Industrial Markets Group at Ford, said, “E-Transit is a testament to the fact that an electrical commercial fleet is no longer a vision of tomorrow, but a productivity-boosting modern reality.” To that end, the electrical vehicle industry is not slowing down at all. With the large Ford plant in Claycomo, the Kansas City region is able to make a significant contribution to the industry through its production of the E-Transit Vans.
The announcement of the E-Transit Van production represented a 100 million dollar investment and 150 new full-time jobs. With Ford being a leading employer in Kansas City, it came as no surprise that many Kansas City residents were eager to hop on the job opportunity. The Kansas City plant is the first Ford location where both all-electric vehicles and EV batteries are assembled in-house. It is only one of five plants that support the first phase of the Ford E-Vehicle plans.
The first shipment of the E-Transit Van starting on February 8, there is still a backlog of orders, due not only to the chip shortage but also to the high demand for these vans. Over 10,000 orders have been placed with starting prices of $43,000 per van. By late 2023, Ford will have the capacity to produce 600,000 electric vehicles annually; of those 600,000, at least 200,000 will be the Mustang Mach-E SUV while 150,000 will be the F-150 Lighting Trucks.
With the current state of supply chain delays and the ongoing chip shortage, the industry is at a roadblock. However, Ford continues to make efforts to fulfill orders as quickly as possible while still providing a quality product to their customers.