Ford builds out US plants for production of EVs
Ford has announced a number of investments to build out several US plants to produce electric models and components. The Van Dyke transmission plant will also build electric motors in future and in Kansas City, Ford will invest 100 million dollars in manufacturing capabilities for the e-transit.
The e-transit is due to debut tomorrow, Thursday, but Ford has given away a lot of information on the production of the electric van in advance. Ford is investing another 100 million US dollars in its plant in Kansas City for the model, set to launch at the end of 2021. Ford is creating 150 full-time jobs in Kansas City to produce the e-transit.
In Kansas City, Ford had already invested 300 million euros in preparing the plant for the production of the new generation of the F-150 pickup truck. In total, Ford plans to invest 3.2 billion dollars, or around 2.7 billion euros at the current rate, in its North American production facilities.
In addition to Kansas City, this will affect other US plants. The electric version of the new F-150 announced for mid-2022 is not to be built in Kansas City but at the Rogue plant in Dearborn (Michigan). According to Ford, due to the great interest shown since the announcement of the electric pickup in September, the company is increasing production plans by 50 per cent and creating 200 additional jobs.
Ford is also investing around 150 million US dollars in its Van Dyke transmission plant in southeastern Michigan to produce electric motors, electric axles and transmissions from 2021. This means Ford will retain 225 jobs at the plant. The components are to be installed in the electric F-150, for example.
“We’re taking our most iconic vehicles and using fully electric technology to deliver even more performance, productivity and capability for customers,” said Kumar Galhotra, President of the Americas and International Markets Group. “We are building out the North American manufacturing footprint to support this growth. This is just the first chapter with more new electric vehicles and more investment to come.”
At the end of September, Ford also announced investments of 1.8 billion Canadian dollars in its Oakville plant in Ontario to convert it to produce battery-electric cars by 2024. In its Cuautitlan plant in Mexico where they make the Mustang Mach-E, Ford intends to produce an additional electric model in the future but has not yet a timetable for these plans.
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