Ford CEO Jim Farley is just wrapping up a three-day trek in a Ford F-150 Lightning that began in Silicon Valley, zigzagged through California and ends in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
“There is no better way to see America than from behind the wheel. I first learned that on family trips as a kid,” he wrote in a post on his LinkedIn professional page.
The short post is titled: “August In America – Heading Out on the Road.”
“As a teenager I drove across the country in a Mustang I bought for a few hundred dollars and fixed up,” Farley wrote. “Early in my career, I spent nearly a year on the road for Toyota. The insights from that trip helped us make Camry one of the most popular vehicles in America. Hitting the road isn’t just about getting somewhere. It’s almost always about what you learn along the way. …
“So, a few of us are setting off this week across the American West in an F-150 Lightning to go and see researchers, businesses, dealers, salespeople, EV conversion shops, EV drivers and communities. There are things you can’t learn in an office or from a PowerPoint,” Farley wrote. “We’ll start our journey in Silicon Valley, the cradle of the digital revolution, and drive south to LA and its vibrant car culture. We’ll roll along Route 66, the kitschy trail that once was the Mother Road that gave millions a path west. We’ll hang a left and head for Las Vegas, the glimmering desert oasis that could only happen in America.”
Urgency is now
He is using the roads and charging stations that electric vehicle drivers need to make for long road trips. Farley even planned to return to the charging station the Ford team visited last year that led to a charging network deal with Tesla.
“We’ll stop to share experiences as we navigate from the Bay Area to the Mojave Desert, crossing parts of the country that shattered temperature records this year. It’s impossible to travel now and overlook weather-related contingencies, which makes our electric transition more urgent,” Farley wrote.
“Long hauling in an electric truck is an act of pioneerism, not because it’s hard or dangerous, but because it’s a new way to experience America. Shifting from fueling stations to charging stations requires new behaviors and opens new possibilities,” Farley wrote. “From EVs to AI, we’re living at the dawn of a new digital age that can leave us oscillating from unmoored to exhilarated, moment to moment.”
‘Continues to amaze me’
During the trip, people posted on social media about meeting Farley.
An advocate of electric vehicles who gave a shoutout to the @SoCalEVs and @TeslaClubSoCal tweeted Tuesday a video of Farley and said, “@Ford continues to amaze me how they are so customer focused. Got to meet with @jimfarley98 and discuss my thoughts on the Lightning and how/if they need to do better. This kind of customer relations and listening to owners is what makes them great and only getting better in the EV space.”
Farley himself tweeted video from Jim Burke Ford in Bakersfield, California, where he used the electric pickup to fill up a bounce house for children on Monday. He also handed out school supplies and Popsicles to students, while making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with teenagers from the Boys & Girls Club there.
Other stops included a wind farm that uses the Lightning pickups, as well as conversion shops that modify gas-powered vehicles to battery electric. Ford did this with a 1978 F-100 pickup in 2021 and created a frenzy.
Farley also stopped to visit Dax Shepard and to do a segment of the “Armchair Expert” podcast that describes itself as celebrating “the messiness of being human.” A year ago, Shepard was a guest on Farley’s podcast.
What happens in Vegas
In coming days, Farley will attend a Ford dealer meeting in Las Vegas.
The road trip comes during a transition period filled with challenges for Ford.
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The automaker is currently engaged in contract negotiations with the UAW, which has threatened to strike the Detroit Three. Ford is working to get a stop sale lifted from its bestselling Explorer SUV, which has had a so-far unfixable recall for months. And the CEO of its Ford Next new products division has been on leave since a domestic dispute last month. Felony charges were dismissed at the end of July.
However, second-quarter earnings beat Wall Street expectations and F-150 Lightning sales have spiked since Ford cut prices. Ford sales also climbed in the second quarter, fueled by gas-powered trucks and hybrids. The company also revealed how its hybrid strategy is already showing gains in market share.
Contact Phoebe Wall Howard: 313-618-1034 or phoward@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @phoebesaid.