The rush to build battery cell plants in Europe to meet growing demand has accelerated through 2023, with every sign that this will continue in 2024 and beyond. The key driver is the phase-out of internal combustion engine (ICE) car sales across Europe by 2035. And throughout this period, OEMs will find their ability to sell ICE powered cars severely constrained by rules such as the UK’s zero emissions vehicle mandate (ZEV) or EU rules requiring a steady reduction in CO2 emissions by each OEM’s sales mix.
But while the move to electric vehicles (EVs) is pretty much unstoppable in cars, in LCVs the situation is different. And at Ford, plans to build a new battery plant in Turkey for the Transit van (and a new Volkswagen van which will be made there too) have been cancelled.
