Ford’s electric future welcomed

Auto giant Ford’s blueprint for an electric future for its vehicles has been welcomed by Unite today (February 17).

Unite has also called on Ford to direct more investment to the UK, given Ford cars’ continuing popularity with British customers.

Ford Europe announced today that its passenger vehicles were moving to all-electric by 2030 and it was investing $1 billion in a new electric vehicle manufacturing centre in Cologne.

Unite national officer for the automotive industries Des Quinn said, “We welcome today’s announcement as the right move for the company and, more generally, the environmental agenda.

“Given the continuing popularity of its cars with the British public, we believe that now is the time for Ford’s senior executives to look to place new investment in the UK.”

Ford operates two major manufacturing sites in the UK, diesel engine production at Dagenham and transmissions production at Halewood. It also operates a large research and development facility in Dunton, Essex.

 “The dedicated UK workforce has suffered closures and job losses in recent years to help reshape the company and they now need to be rewarded for that loyalty, especially given the enormous value of the UK market to Ford’s operations,” Quinn added.

“Ford remains a major global player in a profitable market. It has been a market leader for decades, both in terms of passenger and commercial vehicles.

“We expect them to announce future propulsion systems to power the vehicles of tomorrow to be sourced in to the UK.”

News that Ford would be moving to an all-electric future comes just days after Jaguar Land Rover made a similar announcement earlier this week. JLR’s new ‘Reimagine’ strategy aims to promote and develop the company as an all-electric luxury brand from 2025.

Meanwhile, also this week, Coventry Council and Regional City Airports announced they have teamed up in a joint venture to seek planning permission for a new electric car battery factory, also known as a gigafactory, by the end of 2021. The joint venture seeks to attract a manufacturer for the site so that production can begin by 2025.

By Shaun Noble