Ford Says All European Sales Will Be Battery Only by 2030

Matt Posky
by Matt Posky

Another day, another automaker making promises about electric vehicles. Today’s company is Ford, which has vowed to make all European automotive sales electric-only by 2030.

This comes with the footnote of having the ability to soften that promise with plug-in hybrids. But, since this is all about corporate virtue signaling, that’s not what automakers tend to lead with. The industry wants to focus upon net-zero carbon emissions, sustainability, and other buzz terms that allow something to sound environmentally friendly without our needing to check if that’s actually the case. By the time 2030 comes around, only a few dozen people are even going to remember these promises if they’re not kept anyway — giving companies another opportunity to move the goalpost.

On the upside, electrification promises hold more water than the ongoing mobility hustle that was supposed to deliver self-driving automobiles by 2020. At the very least, we know EVs exist and Ford has the capability to manufacturer them in limited numbers. Blue Oval is even investing $1 billion investment in a new electric vehicle manufacturing center in Cologne for the expressed purpose of building electric cars for the European market. Now that the brand has successfully regained profitability within the region, Ford thinks it can start producing EVs at the plant in 2023.

But we would be a lot more confident about the automaker’s bold claims on electrification if Ford expressed any interest in manufacturing its own batteries and didn’t make exceptions for its 2030 EV timeline by way of hybridization. The company stated that it wants its European lineup to be entirely “zero-emissions capable all-electric or plug-in hybrid” by 2026.

The word capable leaves a lot open to interpretation. Theoretically, all companies are zero-emissions capable whether or not that’s true in practice. You’re capable of winning the lottery but that doesn’t mean you’re going to. Fortunately, Ford also issued an iron-clad promise that it would transmission entirely to battery-driven cars in Europe by 2030. While we’re pleased to see any manufacturer speaking in absolute terms, it always feels odd that automakers are vowing to tailor their product planning around the ever-changing whims of government. Whatever happened to the customer?

More details are supposed to be provided about the new Germany factory in the coming months. But Ford seems excited about being able to bring some jobs back into the region after some necessary restructuring and the ability to someday tout itself as an EV manufacturer.

“The decision to make the production and development site in Cologne the e-mobility center for Ford in Europe is an important signal to the entire workforce,” said Martin Hennig, chairman of the General Works Council of Ford-Werke GmbH. “It offers a long-term perspective for our employees and at the same time encourages them to help shape this electric future.”

[Image: Ford Motor Co.]

Matt Posky
Matt Posky

A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.

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  • Craiger Craiger on Feb 18, 2021

    The future regulatory landscape notwithstanding, wouldn't it be refreshing to hear a company say "We will build the kinds of cars that our customers want."

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    • Mcs Mcs on Feb 18, 2021

      @28-Cars-Later "and cost significantly more, " Not true. When you factor in the performance, they aren't. Compare similar cars in terms of 0-60 and that price difference is justified. Even a Bolt. Compare that with a Honda Fit's acceleration and NVH. If you could get a Honda Fit with the same 0-60 and a smooth torquey powerplant, it would probably cost the same. " offer less resale" That's not true. With the exception of the Leaf, they hold their value well. Especially Tesla. Compare Tesla with BMW depreciation. "have more limited range" Again, not true. A 300 or 400 mile EV will have more range than several ICE cars 've owned. "he battery tech is quickly outdated," Why is that a problem. Who cares. Besides, when solid-state batteries come out, I'm sure there will be third parties that upgrade the old cells. That's happened with the Leaf where 3rd parties will install tesla cells. "have a shorter lifespan" QUantumScape is reporting 800 cycles. I think Tesla is similar to their latest chemistry, although I've seen reports of over 10,000 cycles. 800 cycles are about 240,000 miles on a 300-mile range car. Even then, I think that might have been 80% capacity. Anything over 500 cycles is going to last longer than an ICE motor with major work. "require dealer or specialist service only," Those independents exist. There are several near me. Some staffed by EV techs that left the dealers. "can not be easily owned by those in apartments/condos, " Why not? If you drive 30 miles a day, you might need to quick charge once a week. For some people, they can deal with it. It's not hard. Maybe someone will come up with a combo quick charge/laundromat. If EVs become more common, landlords will have trouble renting without chargers and will have to install them. Condos will have less value without them. By 2030, because of increased gravimetric density, lighter more durable batteries, charging times will get closer to gas cars. Also, some condos have separate individual garages. "you won’t be able to use them if you lose your home’s power source for more than a few days." Not true. If you're worried about it, get solar with a powerwall. If superchargers are up, just go there and charge. As technology evolves, you might be able to drive someplace with power, quick charge, then bring the power back and charge your powerwall with the car. "require you to update your home’s electrical service if not new," Not necessarily. My big upgrades had to happen because of a new kitchen which pulled way more power than the EV. Dual ovens and the electric cooktop are more than triple the EV. In many cases, upgrading wiring isn't such a bad idea anyway. "but the EV needs to sell on its own merits, not be propped up through artificial means and threats" Never seen the threat part. Let's cut the oil subsidies too. Mandating EVs is a double edge sword. On one hand, I'd really like to see them evolve on their own merit, but on the other hand, the only way to get companies to commit to the investments that are needed to make it happen is probably a mandate.

  • Htowncars Htowncars on Feb 18, 2021

    The big thing that everyone but Tesla seems to have trouble with is the batteries. Not only do you need to find someone to actually build quality batteries, but to do this they'll need them to grow exponentially in manufacturing capabilities to do so. How are they guiding the MFG pipeline of batteries to hit this target? Tesla partnered with Panasonic nearly 10 years ago now and has built multiple versions of what at one time was an unheard of scale battery production plant. And they still only build a small fraction of the number of cars that Ford or GM does. Where are the Ford gigafactories?? Is there an actual plan or is this just all pillow talk.

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