Ford has opened a £24m Propulsion Development Laboratory at the company’s UK headquarters, to support the delivery of its EV plans in Europe.
The development laboratory at its Dunton Campus in Essex comprises eight vehicle-size rooms capable of testing electric power units and propulsion systems – maximising development time, including round-the-clock component reliability sign off.
Its test rooms are configured to test EV, hybrid and combustion powertrains, flexing between technologies in anticipation of market changes and customer requirements.
Over the past two years Ford has invested £47 million in the adjacent Advanced Propulsion Laboratory (APL) and separate Electrified Powertrain in Manufacturing Engineering (E:PRiME) prototype build facility.
APL specialises in minimising noise and vibration from EV powertrains as well as developing hybrid powertrains for the latest emissions regulations, while E:PRiME develops advanced manufacturing processes, producing prototype EV components ahead of volume production.
Last year the E:PRiME team completed 150 electric power units, involving employees from the Ford Halewood Plant on Merseyside where more than 400,000 of the power units will be assembled annually from later this year.
Ford is launching nine new EV vans and cars by 2025, including five van-based vehicles.
The Dunton-based Ford Pro division leads on commercial vehicle sales and supporting software, charging, service and finance customer needs.
Lisa Brankin, chair and managing director of Ford Britain and Ireland, said: “I’m delighted that the transport minister Anthony Browne joined us to officially open our new Propulsion Development Laboratory.
“This is the third new test facility opened on our Dunton Campus in two years, underpinning the site’s key role in delivering Ford’s electric vehicle plan in Europe.”
