After creating separate EV business, Ford accelerates electric mobility plans in Europe

Pictured: The nine EVs Ford is planning to sell in Europe by 2024. Image: Ford

The multinational automotive firm made the announcement earlier this week, building on its creation of two separate businesses – one for EVs and one for legacy petrol and diesel models – earlier this month.

Ford confirmed that it will launch three new electric cars and four new electric vans in Europe by 2024. At that point, it will have nine pure-electric models for sale in Europe, the smallest being an electric version of the Puma and the largest being the E-Transit.

With this in mind, the business has boosted its EV sales targets for Europe to 600,000 vehicles between now and 2026.

“I am delighted to see the pace of change in Europe – challenging our entire industry to build better, cleaner and more digital vehicles,” said the firm’s president and chief executive Jim Farley.

“Ford is all-in and moving fast to meet the demand in Europe and around the globe.”

To enable the manufacture of these EVs, Ford will increase investment in its manufacturing sites in Cologne, Germany, and Craiova, Romania.

Craiova will be the manufacturing site for the all-electric Puma and the Tourneo Courier. Ford’s site in Cologne, meanwhile, will be its main EV manufacturing site in Europe. Ford has pledged to manufacture 1.2 million of the 2 million EVs it has promised within six years in Cologne. It will notably add a new battery assembly facility to the site, with operations due to begin in 2024.

Separately, Ford has signed a memorandum of understanding with Turkey’s largest industrial conglomerate, Koc Holding. The firms intend to develop a joint venture business on EV battery production, with a vision to launch one of the largest Gigafactories in Europe near Ankara.

The Times is arguing that Ford would do well to also increase investment in its Dagenham plant, transforming it into an EV hub. Car manufacturing ceased there in the early 2000s and the downsized site now produces diesel engines.

Ford had already confirmed plans to cease producing petrol and diesel cars in Europe by 2030, given that the UK is banning new petrol and diesel car sales at this point and the EU is mulling a similar move.

The new commitments do not affect Ford’s commitment to becoming a carbon-neutral business across the global value chain by 2050, or its supporting commitment to only use 100% local renewable electricity in all manufacturing operations by 2035. 

However, they do mean that there is a new pledge for Ford’s European business, to carbon-neutrality by 2035. This commitment covers operations, the supply chain and logistics.


45-Minute Masterclass: Electrifying your business fleet

Registration is now open for edie’s next free Masterclass, which is taking place on Tuesday 29 March and will outline how businesses can integrate electric vehicles (EVs) into their fleets as they work to decarbonise.

This 45-minute online Masterclass is hosted in association with E.ON. It will take place at 1pm on Tuesday 29 March and will help businesses to formulate and deliver ambitious plans to reduce emissions from their fleets. Click here for a full agenda and to register. 


Sarah George

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