The badge of a Ford Motor Co. E-Transit electrical automobile throughout a presentation in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, July 28, 2021.
Al Drago | Bloomberg | Getty Pictures
LONDON – Ford introduced Monday that it intends to spend $315 million (£230 million) remodeling a manufacturing facility in northwest England right into a web site that can make elements for electrical autos.
The automobile transmission facility in Halewood, Merseyside, shall be changed into an electrical energy unit manufacturing plant, the U.S. motor large mentioned.
Ford burdened that the funding is topic to and contains U.Ok. authorities assist, which reportedly quantities to £30 million.
“This is a vital step, marking Ford’s first in-house funding in all-electric automobile part manufacturing in Europe,” mentioned Stuart Rowley, president of Ford Europe, in a press release.
“It strengthens additional our potential to ship 100% of Ford passenger autos in Europe being all-electric and two-thirds of our business automobile gross sales being all-electric or plug-in hybrid by 2030,” he added.
Ford mentioned it would begin making the electrical energy models at Halewood in mid-2024, including that it plans to supply round 250,000 of them on the web site every year.
Final 12 months, the U.Ok. authorities created a £500 million pot to attempt to persuade electrical automobile producers and battery makers to develop their operations within the U.Ok. It needs gross sales of latest petrol and diesel automobiles to finish within the U.Ok. by 2030.
Elsewhere this 12 months, Nissan and Stellantis, the world’s fourth greatest automotive maker, have additionally introduced electrical automobile investments at their U.Ok. vegetation. BMW already makes the electrical Mini at a web site in Oxford.
U.Ok. Enterprise Minister Kwasi Kwarteng mentioned in a press release: “Ford’s determination to construct its first electrical automobile elements in Europe at its Halewood web site is additional proof that the UK stays the most effective areas on the planet for high-quality automotive manufacturing.”
Ford mentioned 500 jobs on the manufacturing facility shall be safeguarded because of the funding.
