Ford Motor Company claims it will be the first full-line automaker to produce passenger electric vehicles (EVs) in Canada for the North American market after transforming its Oakville Assembly Complex to an EV manufacturing hub.
The American automotive OEM plans to scale production of EVs in Canada as part of its transition to move most of its fleet to electrified models. Under the investment, the hub will be renamed Oakville Electric Vehicle Complex and will be retooled and modernized to prepare for production of next generation EVs.
Ford has plans to invest at least $40 billion in electrification through 2030 and to transition to electric models as the primary business. Ford said it will only sell EVs in Europe by 2030, completely phasing out its gas-powered vehicles in the region.
To speed up its transition, Ford opened a battery lab in Ion Park, specifically for all-EVs and then split its business into electric and gasoline divisions, called Ford Blue and Ford Model e.
The upgrades
Currently, the Oakville site is home to three body shops, one paint building and one assembly building spread across a 487-acre location.
The transformed campus will feature a new 407,000 square-foot on-site battery plant that will use cells and arrays from BlueOval SK Battery park in Kentucky. Workers will use these components and assemble battery packs that will then be installed in vehicles on site, Ford said.
“Ford’s transformation from gas to electric vehicles is well underway,” said François-Philippe Champagne, minister of innovation for Science and Economic Development in Canada. “Once complete, the Oakville Electric Vehicle Complex will secure thousands of well-paying jobs for our hard-working Canadian autoworkers and boost the competitiveness of Canada's auto sector. The partnership between Ford and Canada helps to position us as a global leader in the EV supply chain for decades to come.”
The investment in the Oakville plant will support thousands of good paying jobs and will help shore up Ford’s home-grown EV supply chain that includes mining to manufacturing, the company said.
Other EV upgrades
The Oakville investment is only one deal that Ford has made in the next few days. Other moves the company made in the EV space include:
- Creating new EV manufacturing ecosystem called BlueOval City in West Tennessee.
- Building a lithium iron phosphate battery plant in Marshall, Michigan, with production slated for 2026.
- Modernizing its vehicle assembly campus in Cologne, Germany.
- A new agreement with LG Energy and Koc Holdings to build an EV battery cell production facility in Ankara, Turkey, with production scheduled for 2026.
- Expand production of F-150 Lightning at its Cuautitlan factory in Mexico.
