Ford Invests GBP 150 Mln In U.K To Boost Electric Vehicle Production

(RTTNews) - Ford Motor Co. (F) Thursday announced an investment of 150 million pounds in the UK, mainly in its Halewood Plant, to scale up electric vehicle or EV portfolio.

The automaker has invested 125 million pounds in its Halewood Plant, on Merseyside, plus 24 million pounds in the supporting E:PRiME product development centre.

The company noted that Halewood Plant's transition to EV components benefits from 150 million pounds investment, raising total to 380 million pounds.

The new funding will increase the plant's capacity by 70 percent. The investment increases annual production to 420,000 units, powering Ford E-Transit Custom, E-Tourneo Custom, Transit Courier, Tourneo Courier, Puma and further future products.

It also secures employment for 500 people, upskilled in EV component assembly at in-house facility providing vehicle plants with Ford's own power unit supply.

The plant currently produces transmissions for internal combustion engine vehicles. There was an initial backing of 230 million pounds to deliver 250,000 units a year from 2024.

Ford said Halewood is integral to its European electrification plan, centered on zero-emission car sales by 2030, followed by all vehicles including vans by 2035. Halewood's electric power units are expected to be to in 70 percent of Ford EVs sold in Europe by 2026.

At Ford's new 24 million pounds E:PRiME (Electrified Powertrain in Manufacturing Engineering) development centre in Dunton, Essex, product testing and prototype build is already underway by Halewood employees.