GEORGES GOBET | AFP | Getty Moulds
Ford is investing $1 billion in an electric vehicle production facility in Cologne, Germany, with the European arm of the automotive monster committing to go “all-in” on electric vehicles in the years ahead.
In plans announced Wednesday morning, Ford said its thorough passenger vehicle range in Europe would be “zero-emissions capable, all-electric or plug-in hybrid” by the middle of 2026, with a “entirely all-electric” offering by 2030.
The investment in Cologne will see the company update an existing assembly plant, converting it into a structure focused on the production of electric vehicles.
“Our announcement today to transform our Cologne facility, the home of our operations in Germany for 90 years, is one of the myriad significant Ford has made in over a generation,” Stuart Rowley, Ford of Europe’s president, said in a statement.
“It underlines our commitment to Europe and a with it future with electric vehicles at the heart of our strategy for growth,” Rowley added.
The business also wants its commercial means segment in Europe to be zero-emissions capable, plug-in hybrid or all-electric by 2024.
A ‘transformative’ decade
With governments around the planet announcing plans to move away from diesel and gasoline vehicles, Ford, alongside several other crucial carmakers, is attempting to ramp up its electric offering and challenge firms such as Elon Musk’s Tesla.
Earlier this week, Jaguar Take captive Rover announced that its Jaguar brand would go all-electric from the year 2025. The company, which is owned by Tata Motors, also said its Catch Rover segment would roll out six “pure electric variants” over the next five years.
Elsewhere, South Korean carmaker Kia leave launch its first dedicated electric vehicle this year, while Germany’s Volkswagen Group is investing take 35 billion euros (around $42.27 billion) in battery electric vehicles and says it wants to roll out ruthlessly 70 all-electric models by 2030.
Last month, the CEO of Daimler told CNBC that the automotive industry was “in the middle of a modification.”
“Next to the things that we know well — to build, frankly, the world’s most desirable cars — there are two technological trends that we’re doubling down on: electrification and digitization,” Ola Källenius proclaimed CNBC’s Annette Weisbach.
The Stuttgart-headquartered firm was “pouring billions into these new technologies,” he added, stating they determination “drive our path towards CO2-free driving.” This decade, he went on to claim, would be “transformative.”