Haywood County mayor talks changes at BlueOval City

STANTON, Tenn. — Ford Motor Company announced on Monday that BlueOval City in Stanton will now be making gas-powered trucks instead of electric trucks.

PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Ford pulls plug on EV truck in Tennessee, announces shift to a new gas-powered truck at BlueOval City

Thursday, we sat down with Haywood County Mayor David Livingston to discuss what this means for the community.

Ford announced they will be renaming the Tennessee Electric Vehicle center at BlueOval City to the Tennessee Truck Plant.

BlueOval City was originally supposed to start making electric trucks this year however the project kept being pushed back. Haywood County Mayor David Livingston says the emphasis on electric vehicles has declined and it was a marketing choice Ford had to make.

“It is a market adjustment that Ford Motor Company has to make. We’re ecstatic that they’ve chosen us to be gas powered,” said Mayor Livingston.

He also says he believes gas powered vehicles are more secure and be long term.

“We feel like the stability of gas vehicles is going to be there for the long term,” said Mayor Livingston.

When the plant was announced in 2021, it was expected to have nearly 5,000 new jobs. With the production of trucks being delayed that number for actual jobs available has dropped.

With this change to gas-powered trucks, Mayor Livingston says this is set to bring more jobs to West Tennessee as these trucks require more parts.

“That means more parts suppliers and more jobs will be available in West Tennessee because Ford has made a commitment that they are going to try to hire as many people locally,” said Mayor Livingston.

Mayor Livingston anticipates this change will also bring prosperity to the area. The facility aims to start production in 2029 for the new gas-powered trucks.

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