Ford is getting even more serious about its electrification ambitions. In an update to its earlier announcement, the automaker has revealed during an online news conference that all its new cars plying European roads will be battery powered by 2030.
Recall that just weeks ago, Ford had announced it was upping its investment in future electric vehicles to $22 billion by 2025.
According the revised plan, all Ford passenger cars meant for Europe would be “zero-emissions capable all-electric or plug-in hybrid” by 2026. And by 2030, the line-up would be completely free of fossil fuel.
To make this happen, Ford is spending $1 billion repurposing its assembly plant in Cologne, German into an electric vehicle production facility. This would be its first EV plant in Europe. The first batch of cars from the site is expected in 2023, some of which will be using the EV modular platform developed by Volkswagen.
Ford already has models using batteries in some form, such as the newly released Ford Mustang-E and the Lincoln Aviator Touring.
This will be a big shift in focus for Ford, which is one of the leading makers of ICE vehicles. It currently owns 40% of the US market and 15% of the European market. Its business in Europe became profitable again last. The company is targeting 600,000 electric vehicles deliveries to European customers in the next six years.
“We successfully restructured Ford of Europe and returned to profitability in the fourth quarter of 2020,” Stuart Rowley, president of European operations, commented during the Wednesday news conference. “Now we are charging into an all-electric future in Europe with expressive new vehicles and a world-class connected customer experience. 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.”
Ford is in good company here as other leading traditional auto makers have announced their own electrification plans too, although with varying dates. GM wants to produce only electric vehicles by 2035 while Jaguar Landrover is saying bye to CO2 emission by 2025. Same as Bentley, Volvo and Nissan.
Written by D.O. for www.ShargeMe.blog