Ford invests £150m to expand electric car part plant in Liverpool

FORD is to expand production of electric car parts in Liverpool as part of a £600m investment in a boost to Britain’s ailing auto industry.

The car maker will increase the capacity of its plant at Halewood on Merseyside from 250,000 electric vehicle (EV) power units a year to 420,000 by injecting around £150m into the plant. Last year, Ford picked the Merseyside factory over one of its German plants to build “e-drive” transmission systems which control power from batteries used to run the wheels, securing the future of 500 workers at Halewood.

The investment comes after the company was granted a £600m loan from the Government’s UK Export Finance (UKEF) agency. UKEF said this will support thousands of jobs and help the manufacturer increase its electric vehicle range from two models to nine.

The loan will also help protect Ford’s ability to deliver engineering services in Dunton, Essex. Ford has committed to having all its passenger vehicles as all-electric and two thirds of its commercial vehicle sales all-electric or plug-in hybrid by 2030. Kemi Badenoch, the International Trade Secretary, said: “Our support for Ford is great news for jobs in Essex and Merseyside, and British manufacturing as a whole.

“Ford is a major UK employer and the high-skilled jobs it provides help communities to thrive. We have consistently backed Ford as it makes its critical transition towards electrification.”

Tim Slatter, Ford UK chairman, said: “This is an all-important next step for Ford towards having nine EVS on sale within four years. Our UK workforce is playing a major role in Ford’s all-electric future, demonstrated by Halewood’s pivot to a new zero-emission parts.”

Kieran Cahill, vice president of Ford’s European industrial operations, said: “We’re very committed to the UK. We will continue to look for growth opportunities if Halewood stays competitive.”

Britain is banning the sale of new cars powered solely by internal combustion from 2030 and the EU is doing the same from 2035. Halewood previously exclusively made transmissions for petrol Ford vehicles including the Fiesta and Focus, which were exported to vehicle manufacturing plants in Europe.