Ford Motor Company announced it would spend an extra $180 million on its Halewood powertrain factory for electric vehicles (EVs) in northern England.
The new funding will increase mass production by 70%, providing powertrains to a huge majority of European Ford vehicles by 2026.
Notably, the firm seeks to become all-electric worldwide by 2030.
EV Push in Europe
Ford, a world-renowned American carmaker, has been among the most aggressive in its shift to electric cars, as reported by Electrek.
Despite years of backlogged orders, Ford still produces F-150 Lightning pickups in the US. Meanwhile, the Mustang Mach-E is a huge hit across the world.
The American car manufacturer has just a handful of EV units available, but it has made no secret of its plans to expand that number.
Ford's next move and timetable are both unknown, although evidence suggests that the corporation is ramping up the manufacturing of EV components.
Ford stated in October that it would be investing $280 million to convert its Halewood transmission plant to produce electric power units for future Ford passenger and commercial EVs in Europe.
Reports say that the year 2024 has been set as the starting date for manufacturing such parts.
Ford has now announced an additional investment at the Halewood facility to promote European EVs further.
New Investment
In a press statement issued Thursday morning, Dec. 1, Ford detailed the extra $180 million it plans to spend in Halewood by 2026 to provide EV powertrains to 70% of European Ford vehicles.
Ford claims the extra money will allow them to boost yearly plant output from 250,000 to 420,000 automobiles.
The production of Ford E-Transit Custom, E-Tourneo Custom, Transit Courier, Tourneo Courier, Puma, and other future vehicles will be driven by this investment.
More than 500 people have already been recruited in Halewood as they will soon be assisting in producing EV components for the European market. Thanks to this investment, they will be able to keep their employment.
Halewood's Role
Kieran Cahill, vice president of the company's European Industrial Operations, said in the press release, "Ford is a global American brand, woven into the fabric of Europe for more than 100 years and a major employer here at Halewood for almost 60 years."
He added, "Our vision in Europe is to build a thriving business, by extending leadership in commercial vehicles and through the electrification of our car range."
Cahill also recognized Halewood as a critical aspect of their production since it is their first in-house investment in EV component manufacturing in Europe.
The objective is to deliver 2 million EVs worldwide by 2026, and this investment in Halewood marks the company's first in-house expenditure toward European electric car component manufacture.
Ford's European electrification strategy relies heavily on Halewood, with the company aiming to sell just zero-emission cars by 2030 and eventually electrify all vehicles, including vans, by 2035.
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