(NewsNation) — Ford rolled out an all-electric version of its iconic F-150 pickup truck Tuesday.
To some Ford employees, this moment goes beyond the push to move to electric and hybrid vehicles in the United States — it marks generations of a family being in the passenger seat for some of Ford’s biggest moments.
Third-generation Ford employee Brian Palmer has worked at Ford for 27 years and was recently promoted to the F-150’s launch team. Cars are in Palmer’s DNA.
“My dad worked at Ford obviously he was started hourly with supervisor for 40 years,” Palmer said. “My mom worked with GM and then my grandfather also worked at Ford, too”
“I’ve always been very good with my hands, so making the transition from this to that was very easy for me,” Palmer said.
The F-150 Lightning was first announced last year. The 2022 model already has more reservations than any other Ford vehicle in history, with more than 200,000 signed up to buy and customize their own model. The Dearborn, Michigan plant has crafted classics like the Model T, Model A and the Mustang. The plant also built bomber engines, patrol boats and tank parts during wars.
Megan Gegesky is a fifth-generation Ford worker, continuing the family legacy by working at the same plant her great-great-grandfather worked at.
“I didn’t really know until I was in grad school when I started kind of experimenting with what I wanted to pursue my career and once I chose for it, it was kind of nonstop ever since,” Gegesky said. “Working on trucks is my dream, I actually got to launch the all-new 21 model here.”
Palmer said he understands skepticism about electric cars, but said he is a firm believer and a soon-to-be-owner of the F-150 Lightning.
“This truck has proven me wrong in every facet. Once you get in and drive it, you will become a believer I guarantee it,” Palmer said on “Morning in America..” “It’s like getting a new cellphone, you get a new cellphone, the old one’s out, you get the new one. You gotta learn how it works, the same principle.”
“It’s very clean. There are no emissions coming out of this vehicle,” Gegesky said.
This interview was edited for length and clarity.