Ford's Halewood plant starts making EV power units for 70% of electric cars sold in Europe - securing 700 UK jobs
Ford eDrive units will power 70% of its EVs sold in Europe including new Puma
Ford's Halewood factory will start production of electric power units for two of its best-selling battery vehicles, injecting major investment into the local economy and offering job security to hundreds of employees, it has confirmed.
The new Ford eDrive units will power 70 per cent of its electric vehicles sold in Europe, including the new Puma Gen-E electric car unveiled today.
As a result of a fresh £380million investment at the Merseyside factory, 700 jobs are safe and a whole generation of EVs will be powered by UK-produced technology.
Kieran Cahill, Ford's European industrial operations vice-president, said: 'Halewood leading the way as our first in-house EV component manufacturing site in Europe, we're building a thriving future together, with nine electric vehicles on the road in Europe by 2025.'
This comes as a welcome contrast to recent announcements made by Nissan and Vauxhall.
As a result of the £380m investment into Halewood, Liverpool, 700 jobs have been secured and a whole generation of electric cars will be powered by UK-manufactured technology
Ford's £380million investment – including £30.9million of governmental support via the Automotive Transformation Fund – has seen Halewood transformed from a traditional transmissions facility into a state-of-the-art electric vehicle component manufacturing plant.
The Merseyside town will also benefit from a big investment from JLR to turn its plant in Halewood into an EV-only making facility.
Ford Halewood, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year, now has the capacity to produce 420,000 eDrive units annually, due to the factory being fitted out with new assembly lines which are exclusively focused on the construction, assembly and testing of the eDrives.
'The start of eDrive production at Halewood is a proud moment for us,' said Lee Meyers, Halewood plant manager.
'We're not only embracing an exciting technological transformation but also contributing to the UK's electric future while investing in our team and community. This plant, our people, and the region have a bright future as part of Ford's electrification journey.'
The new Ford eDrive units will power 70% of Ford's electric vehicles sold in Europe, including the new Puma Gen-E electric car unveiled today
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