Ford plans £230m reconversion at UK plant to produce electric vehicles components

LONDON (ICIS)–Ford is set to invest £230m in the UK to build its first European electric vehicle (EV) components plant, the US automotive major said on Monday.

The existing facility at Halewood in Merseyside, England, will be converted to build electric power units for all-electric passenger and commercial vehicles.

Production is due to begin in 2024 and the plant will have a capacity of 250,000 units/year.

Halewood was chosen because of its record of quality competitiveness and the skill base of its employees.

This investment is subject to and includes support from the UK government’s Automotive Transformation Fund, and will help to safeguard jobs at the plant which currently builds vehicles transmissions and exports 100% of its production.

Before being taken back into Ford ownership earlier this year, Halewood was part of Getrag Ford Transmissions, a transmission manufacturing joint venture co-owned by Ford and Magna for more than 20 years.

Ford is one of the UK’s largest exporters, supplying engines and transmissions to more than 15 countries, and generating around £2.5bn in annual overseas sales.

“This strengthens further our ability to deliver 100 percent of Ford passenger vehicles in Europe being all-electric and two-thirds of our commercial vehicle sales being all-electric or plug-in hybrid by 2030,” said Ford’s president in Europe, Stuart Rowley.

“We also want to thank the UK government for its support for this important investment at Halewood which reconfirms Ford’s continuing commitment to the UK and our position as a leading investor in this country’s auto industry and technological base.”

Ford has made several announcements about its shift to electrification and its aim of making two-thirds of its commercial vehicles and all passenger cars fully electric or plug-in hybrid by 2030.

This includes a $1bn investment to modernise vehicle assembly at its manufacturing centre in Cologne, Germany, a light commercial vehicle assembly plant in Romania, and a joint venture in Turkey.

Front page picture: EVs chargers in Reading, UK
Source: Geoffrey Swaine/Shutterstock

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