Ford has started production of electric motors at its Halewood plant for its new electric vehicles.
The former transmissions production base has been converted to produce the eDrive units following a £380m investment.
Ford’s first EV component in-house assembly site in Europe, Halewood has the capacity to produce 420,000 electric drive units annually. The electric motors will be distributed across Europe and assembled at Ford Otosan plants in Romania and Turkey.
The first electric drive units are initially going into the E-Transit Custom as well as the fully electric version of the Puma that launched this week.
The all-electric Puma Gen-E is assembled at Ford Otosan’s plant in Craiova, Romania, and teams up the 168hp electric motor produced at Halewood with a 43kWh battery, delivering up to 233 miles of WLTP combined range and some 325 miles of urban range.
Kieran Cahill, Ford’s European industrial operations vice president, said: “Ford is a global American brand with deep roots in Europe, and Halewood has been a cornerstone of that legacy for 60 years. It’s our first in-house electric vehicle component manufacturing site in Europe with the state-of-the-art technology following the £380m investment to transform Halewood from a traditional transmission’s facility into a state-of-the-art manufacturing plant.”
Ford’s transformation of Halewood into an EV components plant has secured hundreds of jobs at Halewood.
The work at Halewood has also been supported by the Ford site in Dunton, Essex. Aided by a £24m investment, the site here worked on prototype development and electric drive unit assembly to bring new expertise to Halewood.
“The start of electric drive unit 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 Puma Gen-E joins the Explorer, Capri, Mustang Mach-E and E-Tourneo Courier to complete Ford’s European electric car offering, along with the E-Transit, E-Transit Courier, E-Transit Custom and E-Tourneo Custom commercial vehicles supplied by Ford Pro.
