production

Although Ford Motor Company is aggressively pushing into the electric vehicle market, the Detroit-based auto manufacturer has zero plans to give up on the internal combustion production engine for several decades.

According to Windsor Star, who spoke with John D’Agnolo, the president of Unifor Local 200, which leads workers at Ford’s Windsor, Ontario, Canada engine plant, the production of combustion engines will continue through 2040. 

D’Agnolo said he recently spoke with Ford vice president of Americas manufacturing John Savona and vice president of labor affairs Kevin Legel about future plans for its Canadian operations. They determined that there will be a need for combustion engines despite the company’s electric vehicle rollout. 

“They’re still a long way from getting out of the combustion side when it comes to the trucks.

“They don’t see until 2040 before they get out of the combustion side of it.

“Right now, I looked at their plans for the next three years and it’s steady at both sites (Essex Engine, Annex Engine). I was quite happy with that,” D’Agnolo said.

D’Agnolo admitted he was anxious before the meeting with Ford execs because of the latest rollout of the electric Ford F-150 Lightning pickup truck.

He noted the transition to EVs will come quicker than anticipated. The US has a 2035 deadline for all new car and light truck sales to be electric. But heavy-duty pickup trucks won’t fall under the ban. 

“I don’t think they’ll be able to transition out of that (heavy-duty trucks) too quickly,” D’Agnolo said.

So the notion that all combustion engines are going away in a decade is malarkey. Even Mercedes-AMG will be sticking with its super-fast V-8 engine throughout the decade.

Meanwhile, the US has encountered a significant problem in the green transition. It requires a lot of industrial metals for battery-making, something the US currently lacks and has to rely on other countries.

China’s dominance in battery production could be considered a national security threat — it could take years for the US to bring online mining and refining facilities for the metals and battery plants. There’s even a warning of a forthcoming shortage of battery supplies… 

Ford’s Windsor has the right idea… keep producing combustion engines because the green transition will not be as seamless as everyone is told to believe.