Toronto, Ontario — In this week’s EV/AV Report, Ford announced that it will repurpose the Oakville, Ont., assembly facility from manufacturing electric vehicles (EVs) to instead developing larger, gasoline-powered versions of its flagship F-series pickup truck. Additionally, Tesla has announced that it will delay its upcoming robotaxi vehicle due to last-minute design changes.
Not so electric
Last Thursday, Ford outlined plans to use the Oakville Assembly facility, previously earmarked for the development of future electric vehicles (EVs), to instead build larger, gasoline-powered versions of its flagship F-series pickup truck.
In April, the automaker previously delayed the launch of a three-row electric SUV to be developed at the Oakville Assembly facility from 2025 to 2027. The reason for this delay was originally cited as a slower-than-expected growth in EV demand.
In its Thursday announcement, Ford indicated that while it remains committed to building the promised EVs and to the projected timeline, it did not say when they would now be built.
Comparatively, Ford plans to add capacity for 100,000 F-series Super Duty trucks at the facility, including the ability to use “future multi-energy technology.”
“Super Duty is a vital tool for business and people around the world and, even with our Kentucky Truck Plant and Ohio Assembly Plant running flat out, we can’t meet the demand,” Ford CEO Jim Farley noted in a statement. “At the same time, we look forward to introducing three-row electric utility vehicles.”
The automaker aims to quadruple hybrid production over the next few years, Autoblog indicated in a recent report. Furthermore, the company plans to invest approximately three billion to expand Super Duty production, including $2.3 billion to install assembly and integrated stamping operations at the Oakville Assembly facility.
Tesla tarries
Tesla’s upcoming robotaxi, a small, autonomous electric vehicle to be built without a steering wheel or pedals, has been delayed due to last-minute design changes.
The vehicle’s delay—to potentially be named the Cybercab when it is eventually released—was confirmed in an announcement by Tesla’s CEO Elon Musk who stated that the vehicle’s release date had been pushed from August 8, 2024 to incorporate design changes and “a few other things.”
Rumours on social media indicate that the vehicle will now be released in October of this year, although this date has yet to be confirmed by Tesla or Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
Tesla’s robotaxi was originally expected to share its debut with a more conventional small vehicle featuring a steering wheel and pedals, due in late 2025 with a US$25,000 price. However, reports have also claimed that this regular version has been axed in favour of launching more affordable existing Tesla models using current production lines.
When it is eventually released, Tesla’s future autonomous robotaxi is expected to use the automaker’s Full Self-Driving software.
