New Study Shows Enormous Job, Economic Opportunities from Manufacturing Ford Electric Trucks

(Washington, D.C. – November 3, 2021) A single assembly plant with 3,300 direct jobs producing Ford’s electric F-Series trucks, including the F-150 Lightning, could support 44,000 American jobs and more than $5 billion of U.S. gross domestic product, according to a new case study released today.

“There’s a bright future in store for the economy, workers, and all Americans from the transition to clean electric vehicles,” said EDF Associate Vice President for Clean Air Strategies Peter Zalzal. “This study also underscores the urgent need for Congress to enact legislation ensuring the U.S. is leading the way to a zero-emissions future, including by supporting domestic manufacturing of electric vehicles and their component parts. Smart policies will deliver high-quality American jobs and will help us create a cleaner, safer and healthier climate.”

Environmental Defense Fund commissioned MJ Bradley & Associates, an ERM Group company, to evaluate the broad economic and employment impacts related to producing Ford Motor Company’s electric F-Series trucks. The F-Series includes the F-150 – the bestselling truck in the U.S. for the last 44 years. Ford is now manufacturing an electric version of the F-150, the Lightning, with more than 150,000 reservations to date.

Ford will manufacture the F-150 Lightning at the Rouge manufacturing complex in Dearborn, Michigan and will also manufacture electric F-Series vehicles at a new plant in Tennessee – part of a recently announced $11.4 billion in new investments in electric vehicles.

The study assumes that the major electric components of the electric vehicles, including the battery, will be sourced domestically. It evaluates the broader impacts of the direct jobs to produce electric F-Series trucks and finds the following economic and employment benefits:

• $97 million in direct income benefits for every 1,000 direct jobs
• $1 billion in direct, indirect, and induced labor income benefits (including, for example, household spending) for every 1,000 direct jobs
• $1.6 billion in gross domestic product (GDP) for every 1,000 direct jobs
• 13 to 14 total U.S. jobs for each direct job

The analysis developed these normalized employment and GDP figures to enable estimation of the proportionately larger employment levels and GDP impacts that would result from more domestic manufacturing of electric vehicles. It also found that those impacts would be even greater if a larger share of the secondary supply chain for major components of the electric vehicle was also U.S.-based.

“The transformative commitments from U.S. automakers such as Ford and General Motors have made the transition to clean transportation inevitable,” said Zalzal. “For some time, the key question has been whether the jobs that come from that transition will be located in the U.S. or overseas. Congress faces pivotal decisions – right now – to adopt policies accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles and ensuring those clean vehicles are made in America today and for years to come.”

You can read the full report on EDF’s website and on MJ Bradley & Associates’ website.