Ford Motor Company South Africa, which yesterday announced plans to produce the first-ever Ford Ranger Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle as part of its 100-year legacy in South Africa, also plans to operate purely on its own renewable energy in future, as well as provide electricity to the grid.
Andrea Cavallaro, operations director, Ford International Markets Group, said yesterday in Pretoria that their Silverton plant in Tshwane, was already home to more than 30 000 solar panels that were capable of providing 13.4MW of power, which is capable of operating its entire assembly plant during the day.
He said the world was moving to electric vehicles and Ford had been part of a global network since it was first established 100 years ago.
He said their renewable energy investment journey would continue next year, when battery storage facilities were introduced to the plant, which should then also put the company in a position to also supply energy to the national power grid during periods of excess power production.
He said the Ford Ranger Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles, which were to begin assembly next year, would have an electric motor and a battery pack, as well as a 2.3 litre petrol engine, and the vehicles would be exported to Europe, Australia and New Zealand. It would be the first time that South African vehicles were exported to the Australia and New Zealand markets.
Since the Ford Ranger started production in South Africa in 2011, more than 630 000 of them have been exported to more than 100 countries, out of the more than 960 000 that have been introduced in total.
Ford announced yesterday the introduction of nine new vehicles to the South African market in 18 months. It currently produces 720 per day, a number higher than any other vehicle manufacturer in the country.
Ford currently employs approximately 5 200 people in South Africa who produce some 720 vehicles a day. The local operations support around 60 000 jobs in the total value chain amongst supplier companies and it contributes more than 1 percent to South Africa’s gross domestic product.
The Ranger Plug-in Hybrid will deliver more torque than any other Ranger, thanks to a 2.3-litre Ford EcoBoost turbo petrol engine paired with an electric motor and rechargeable battery system. It can be driven in pure electric mode for more than 45 kilometres without using a drop of fuel or producing tailpipe emissions, helping customers save at the pump and reduce their environmental impact.
Along with the new battery facility and plant upgrades required for the Ranger Plug-in Hybrid, the Paint Shop is being revamped to further improve paint quality and first time through (FTT) for all vehicles produced in South Africa.
This will guarantee the highest levels of customer satisfaction and consistently deliver the required production volumes. The Silverton Assembly Plant has an installed capacity to produce 720 vehicles per day over three shifts, or 200,000 vehicles per year.
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