Car manufacturer Ford has announced today that it is to go “all in” for electric vehicle production in its European operation.
Ford of Europe, the subsidiary of the Ford Motor Company based in Cologne, Germany, has committed to make all passenger vehicles “zero-emissions capable” by the middle of 2026. This means that in a little over five years, Ford of Europe will be producing only vehicles that will either be fully electric or a plug-in hybrid.
In addition to this significant commitment, Ford have pledged that its European passenger vehicle range will be 100 percent electric by 2030.
Ford’s commercial vehicle range will be “zero-emissions capable” by 2024. However, sales of the commercial range of vehicles are expected to only reach two-thirds by 2030 with a 100 percent electric commercial range soon after.
The news comes on the back of positive figures for Ford of Europe which returned to profitability following a two-year, $1 billion investment in restructuring. In addition the Ford Motor Company will be investing a further $22 billion globally to drive production of fully electric vehicles.
Ford Cologne Electrification Centre
Ford of Europe’s home base in Cologne will benefit from a new $1 billion investment. Aimed at modernising its vehicle assembly line, the Ford Cologne Electrification Centre will focus purely on the manufacture of electric vehicles. This will be Ford’s first all-electric vehicle facility in Europe.
Starting in 2023, Ford will roll out its first all-electric, volume-built passenger vehicles in Europe, based on Volkswagen’s Modular Electric-drive Toolkit (MEB) platform, or Modularer E-Antriebs-Baukasten as they say in Germany.
Volkswagen had already committed to all-electric vehicle production back in 2017 and the strategic alliance with Ford will provide cost-effective development.
Speaking about the exciting news of the new $1 billion investment, Ford of Europe’s president, Stuart Rowley, said:
“We successfully restructured Ford of Europe and returned to profitability in the fourth quarter of 2020. Now we are charging into an all-electric future in Europe with expressive new vehicles and a world-class connected customer experience.”
Rowley continued:
“We expect to continue our strong momentum this year in Europe and remain on track to deliver our goal of a six percent EBIT margin as part of Ford’s plan to turnaround our global automotive operations.”
Of the investment in the Cologne EV facility in particular, Rowley added:
“Our announcement today to transform our Cologne facility, the home of our operations in Germany for 90 years, is one of the most significant Ford has made in over a generation. It underlines our commitment to Europe and a modern future with electric vehicles at the heart of our strategy for growth.”
Finishing his briefing, the head of Ford’s European operations concluded:
“We will offer an exceptional range of electrified vehicles, supported by customer-centric digital services and experiences, allowing our customers to come with us on the journey to a fully electric future, starting right now with the launch of the all-electric Mustang Mach-E. In combination with our leading commercial vehicle business, this will form the basis of a sustainably profitable Ford business in Europe.”
Further details of Ford’s European EV plan and its range of fully-electric vehicles will be announced over the coming months.
Caltest Instruments are a leading provider of consultation and products for electric vehicle and electric vehicle battery testing.
Call us on 01483 302 700 to discuss your requirements and our experts will be happy to advise.
Leave a reply