Ford starts European production of E-Transit

At Ford’s Otosan production site in Turkey, production of the 100% electrically powered Transit will get started. Ford has big plans to electrify its commercial vehicle fleets, and the market is also responding positively, with 5 000 orders already in the Ford Pro order book.

Ford is running a broad pilot project with pre-production models that are being used by customers in various European countries to get the necessary feedback from the field. This includes equipped and converted vans.

Future Ford Pro is electric

The manufacturer wants to gather as much input as possible on the Ford Pro’s charging infrastructure, telematics, and maintenance capabilities. The first E-Transits built in Europe will soon be shipped to European customers. US production (Kansas City) has already started in February 2022.

“For the Ford Otosan plant in Kocaeli, this is an important evolution. This is the first step in an electric transformation as this production site is to become a major center for electrically powered commercial vehicles in Europe,” states Hans Schep, general manager of Ford Pro in Europe.

Sustainable production

The production of the E-Transit will also be sustainable, as the entire site operates with 100% renewable energy. The plant’s transition involves an investment of two billion euros and will also create 3 000 jobs, as the site will later be used for the production of the next-generation Transit Custom.

Four additional electric Ford Pro vehicles will follow in 2024, and by 2035, Ford aims to be a fully climate-neutral company (including logistics and supply chain).

European battery production to follow

To supply all these electric vehicles with batteries, a Turkish joint venture with three partners will start up the largest European battery production. At the moment, there is a non-binding memorandum of understanding, but the aim is to develop 30 to 45-gigawatt hours of battery capacity annually by 2025.