Ford has provided a glimpse as to how its future will look in Europe as it transitions to full electrification with the target of being carbon-neutral across all of its operations in Europe by 2035. The company intends to expand its range of electric vehicles to nine models in the next two years and by 2030 its entire passenger car offering will be fully electric. It has set an ambitious target of selling 600,000 electric cars per year by 2026.
Achieving that target should be possible following Ford’s significant €830 million investment in refitting its car plant in Cologne to produce electric vehicles at a rate of 200,000 per year. The company has also signed an agreement to create one of Europe’s largest battery production sites in Turkey. The joint venture would be located near Ankara and will manufacture high Nickel NMC cells for assembly into battery array modules. Production is intended to start as early as mid-decade with an annual capacity likely to be in the range of 30 to 45 Gigawatt hours.
Ford also has an agreement to use the modular electric platform that the Volkswagen Group has developed, meaning that some future Ford EVs will have the same underpinnings as the Volkswagen ID.4 and Skoda Enyaq iV.
Speaking at the announcement, Stuart Rowley, chair, Ford of Europe, said: “Our march toward an all-electric future is an absolute necessity for Ford to meet the mobility needs of customers across a transforming Europe. It’s also about the pressing need for greater care of our planet, making a positive contribution to society and reducing emissions in line with the Paris Climate Agreement.
“These new Ford electric vehicles signal what is nothing less than the total transformation of our brand in Europe – a new generation of zero-emission vehicles, optimised for a connected world, offering our customers truly outstanding user experiences.”
