Ford wants its entire range of Passenger Vehicles to be fully Electric in the EU and UK by 2030

While the US automaker only began delivering its first purpose-built electric vehicle, the Mustang Mach-E (pictured), in late December, it says by mid-2026 it plans for all its vehicles to be “zero-emissions capable” which means hybrid engines will be included at a minimum.

To reach its lofty goals, which it now has less than a decade to achieve, Ford will invest $22bn (£16bn) in developing EV technology over the next four years, nearly twice its previous investment plans.

The new directions taken by the firms follow recent announcements such as the UK’s decision to ban new diesel and petrol cars by 2030 and expectations that the EU will make similar moves shortly.

Ford also confirmed that its first European-built, volume all-electric passenger vehicle for European customers will be produced at the Ford Cologne Electrification Center facility from 2023, with the potential for a second all-electric vehicle built there under consideration.

Ford remains a major global player in a profitable market. It has been a market leader for decades, both in terms of passenger and commercial vehicles. We expect them to announce future propulsion systems to power the vehicles of tomorrow to be sourced in to the UK.

There won’t be any change without regulation, agrees Dr Jenifer Baxter, head of energy and the environment at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

This due to the simple reason that money talks. Companies fear being driven out of the market if they change their behavior and others don’t.

Most of the pollution occurs far out @ sea, out of the sight and minds of consumers – and out of the reach of any government.

However, the emissions footprint will not make much of a difference in the global outlook. Because only 15 mega-ships have the same carbon footprint as all of the passenger cars in the world combined?

It has been estimated that just one of these container ships, the length of around six football pitches, can produce the same amount of pollution as 50 million cars.

The emissions from 15 of these mega-ships match those from all the cars in the world. International shipping produces nearly one billion tons of CO2 emissions, which is approximately 2% to 3% of global man-made emissions.

And if the shipping industry were a country, it would be ranked between Germany and Japan as the sixth-largest contributor to global CO2 emissions.

The Paris deal aims to limit the global temperature rise to below 2°C this century by reducing emissions. Instead, it is the job of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to negotiate a reduction in emissions from the industry.

Reducing emissions from shipping is not an easy thing to do, agrees Maurice Meehan, director of global shipping operations with the Carbon War Room, an international think-tank working on market-based solutions to climate change.

Reducing emissions from shipping is not an easy thing to do, agrees Maurice Meehan, director of global shipping operations with the Carbon War Room, an international think-tank working on market-based solutions to climate change.

However, efficiency is only up because these ships are carrying more cargo. The biggest ships are emitting more because they are speeding up.

In the latest round of IMO talks in October, on reducing carbon emissions by 2100, a group of ­European nations and their allies pushed for drastic cuts by 2050.

However, Saudi Arabia, India, Brazil and the International Chamber of Shipping suggested a slower rate of reduction.

There won’t be any change without regulation, agrees Dr Jenifer Baxter, head of energy and the environment at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.

This due to the simple reason that money talks. Companies fear being driven out of the market if they change their behavior and others don’t. Most of the pollution occurs far out @ sea, out of the sight and minds of consumers – and out of the reach of any government.

Engineering & Technology / ABC Flash Point Greenhouse News 2021.