Ford broke ground on BlueOval City, a new electric vehicle and battery manufacturing facility, on Friday, less than a year after the company announced the project.
Less than a year after @Ford and SK On announced a $5.6B investment in W. Tennessee, construction is underway at @blueovalcity, the future home of a revolutionary all-new electric truck and advanced batteries for Ford and Lincoln vehicles. #BuiltForAmerica #BlueOvalCity pic.twitter.com/gQSvM60qgE
— Ford Motor Company (@Ford) September 23, 2022
The Tennessee Star reported that BlueOval City was chosen to be built at the Memphis Regional Megasite in West Tennessee. The 6-square-mile manufacturing campus is expected to create approximately 6,000 new jobs when production begins in 2025, according to a press release by Ford Motor Company.
Additionally, according to a press release by the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development (TNECD), the project is anticipated to generate more than 27,000 new jobs, both directly and indirectly, to support the site’s operations which are expected to result in more than $1.02 billion in annual earnings. Ford’s project is also anticipated to contribute $3.5 billion yearly to Tennessee’s gross state product, TNECD notes.
Ford calls the project its “most advanced auto production complex in the company’s 119-year history.”
Once operational, the facility will manufacture an “all-new, revolutionary electric truck and advanced batteries to power future Ford and Lincoln electric vehicles (EVs).”
“We are building the future right here in West Tennessee,” Eric Grubb, Ford’s director of new footprint construction said in a statement. “This facility is the blueprint for Ford’s future manufacturing facilities and will enable Ford to help lead America’s shift to electric vehicles.”
Mark Truby, vice president of communications for Ford, tweeted that BlueOval city is a “big step forward for a green industrial revolution in the USA and Ford’s goal to produce 2 million EVs a year by late 2026.”
Work is humming at BlueOval City in Tennessee. A big step forward for a green industrial revolution in the USA and @Ford’s goal to produce 2 million EVs a year by late 2026. pic.twitter.com/oF9hwGYWt8
— Mark Truby (@mtruby) September 23, 2022
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee also released a statement on the company’s $5.6 billion investment, saying, “Ford’s historic investment in West Tennessee is a testament to our state’s strong business climate and unmatched workforce. BlueOval City will have a transformational impact on Tennesseans and our economy, and we’re proud this global company will call Haywood County home.”
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network.
Photo “Construction” by Ford Motor Company.
