Ford puts UK PM Rishi Sunak on blast after expected delay in 2030 ICE car ban
After an expected delay in the UK’s target to ban new ICE vehicle sales, Ford says prolonging it any further will risk the country’s transition.
Ford says UK 2030 ICE car ban delay will be a mistake
“Our business needs three things from the UK government: ambition, commitment, and consistency,” Lisa Brankin, Ford UK’s managing director, said in a statement Wednesday.
Brankin added, “A relaxation of 2030 would undermine all three.” The statement comes as British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to delay some of the government’s clean energy policies this week.
Ford’s UK chair argued pushing back the 2030 timeline would be a mistake. “This is the biggest industry transformation in over a century, and the UK 2030 target is a vital catalyst to accelerate Ford into a cleaner future,” she stated.
The potential delay comes only three years after the government announced its intentions to transition to new electric cars and van sales by 2030.
Ford has already invested £430 million ($533 million) into its UK development and manufacturing facilities. The company says it has “further funding planned for the 2030 timeframe.”
In 2021, the American automaker announced that 100% of its passenger vehicles in Europe will be all-electric by 2030. Ford increased its investment to £380 million ($471 million) in its Halewood plant last year to build EV components and support the shift.
“We need the policy focus trained on bolstering the EV market in the short term and supporting consumers while headwinds are strong: infrastructure remains immature, tariffs loom and cost-of-living is high,” Brankin said.
Ford unveiled the electric version of the Explorer for Europe in March, its best-selling SUV. The electric Ford Explorer is expected to start at around 45,000 euros ($49.5K) and will roll out next summer.
The automaker plans to have nine electric models in its European lineup by 2024, including four passenger vehicles and five commercial vans. Passenger EVs include an electric Puma, Explorer, Mustang Mach-E, and a sports crossover.
Electrek’s Take
Brankin has a point. Delaying the ban any further would likely risk the transition altogether. Not only that but also the UK auto industry.
Automakers and other companies are already investing heavily in the transition, and a delay would only set back the progress.
What’s needed is further investment, as Brankin explains, in infrastructure and other measures to bring down the high cost of living. The UK has struggled to keep up with other key auto markets in attracting EV and battery plant investments. A delay will only set it back further.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Toyota has the worst climate lobbying score of any automaker, and the third-worst 2030 EV production plans, according to InfluenceMap’s annual report on climate lobbying.
Another year, another report showing how bad Toyota is for the environment.
Toyota has routinely ranked at the bottom of InfluenceMap’s climate policy engagement rankings, and this year is no different.
InfluenceMap routinely ranks automakers and auto industry associations based on how much they lobby to stop climate policy goals. These rankings don’t just show automakers’ EV plans, but also show how much each automaker is doing to try to stop governments from protecting the populace from pollution.
Some of this lobbying comes from automakers themselves, and some of it comes from their membership in trade associations, which aggregate the positions of several companies to increase lobbying power.
InfluenceMap looks at the actions of these trade associations across the globe, and ranks automakers based on how many associations they’re a member of, how many briefs they’ve filed in favor of or against various climate policy goals, and what their plans are for the future of their manufacturing.
This is broken down into an “organization score” (how much the organization itself lobbies), “relationship score” (membership in trade organizations and how positive their lobbying efforts are), “engagement intensity” (how involved in lobbying the corporation is), and what the manufacturer’s EV manufacturing plans total up to.
Tesla led the list, but only received a “B” score because of its low engagement intensity. While Tesla supports positive climate policy and is generally a member of groups pushing positive instead of negative climate policy, it doesn’t lobby as much as other organizations do (a situation that may be made worse by the departure of Tesla’s policy head in April).
Some other automakers were given kudos for occasional positive moves, like Ford, GM, VW and Mercedes. But pretty much nobody got what could be considered a passing score – with “C-” grades or worse for all but three automakers.
And as usual, the Japanese automakers are ranked among the lowest. The Japanese EV industry has been slow to electrify, putting an important national industry at risk. Nissan is the standout from amongst the Japanese, but it still did not receive a passing grade.
On production plans, most automakers score poorly, with only 3 of the 15 automakers analyzed having commitments compatible with the International Energy Agency’s target of 66% EVs by 2030. This number is necessary to have any chance of limiting climate change to 1.5ºC. Forecasts suggest the industry will only produce 53% EVs by 2030 at current pace.
Toyota does not actually rank last place on this measure – Honda and Suzuki are behind it. But given the intensity of Toyota’s negative climate lobbying, it gets the crown for worst automaker on climate once again, continuing the several years it has worn it.
For more detail into the rankings, read the full InfluenceMap report here.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
To ensure its new Mustang Mach-E Rally car is ready to tackle any terrain, Ford set up a secret course to test it. Ford says its new electric rally car is a testament to what’s possible when you combine passion with design and engineering. Check out how the Mach-E Rally car evolved below.
The electric Mustang rally car is here
“Can we make a rally-inspired version of the Mustang Mach-E?” Ford’s product planners, Peter Schultz and Craig Migliori, were asked in 2022. Their answer? Absolutely.
Shultz and Migliori took a “hand-me-down” Mustang Mach-E GT and added new wheels and off-road tires. After testing it at Ford’s Michigan Proving Grounds, they were confident it could become a reality.
The team lifted the Mach-E GT 1″ with RallyCross-tuned shocks and springs to enable it to tackle rougher terrain. Meanwhile, 19″ wheels wrapped in Michelin CrossClimate 2 rubber and underbody shielding are added to help protect the vehicle.
Not only did the Rally car need off-road capability, but the team also knew it needed a rugged design to accompany it.
Contrasting accents on the upper and lower body moldings, a front splitter and rear spoiler, and a black painted steel roof are added for a more aggressive style. The Mustang Mach-E also features built-in rally-inspired fog lights.
To prove the modifications were worthy, Ford off-road attributes engineer Chris Berchin and vehicle engineering supervisor Jay Kistler put the electric Rally car up to the test.
Ford sets up secret rally course for testing
The team set up a secret 500 combined mile “torture test” course at Ford’s Michigan Proving Grounds. The new course was designed to put the Mustang Mach-E Rally through the equivalent of about ten years of monthly rallycross racing.
Tests included tight turns through loose dirt terrain. “We tested in numerous different weather scenarios and temperatures with conditions ranging from muddy to dry – typical of what rallycross competitors might face,” Berchin explained.
“Likewise, the surface is dirt of varying composition, allowing for different traction scenarios.” Before building the course, the team went to Rallycross events and interviewed drivers to make sure they were projecting a true representation of what the environment looks and feels like.
Using this info, Ford engineers plotted the course with a full computer-aided engineering (CAE) analysis, complete with mapping elevation, exact speeds, timing, and more.
Ford used the tech to make it feel and look like a rally course with data to back it up. The secret in-house course enabled Ford to keep cost and development time down while keeping the electric rally car under wraps.
Ford’s RallySport drive mode unlocks the full potential of the electric Rally car, enabling bigger slides, a more linear throttle response, and aggressive damping for better control.
The Mustang Mach-E Rally has 265 miles EPA estimated range with up to 480 hp and 700 lb-ft of torque. Charging from 10% to 80% is expected in 36.5 minutes. Ford’s new Mustang Mach-E electric Rally car is available for order starting at $59,995.
Are you ready to drive off in a new Ford Mustang Mach-E? You can use our link to view deals on the 2024 Ford Mustang Mach-E in your area.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Environment12 months agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Sports1 month agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports7 months agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports3 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment1 year agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Environment1 year agoTesla advances Powerwall pilot project with German electric company