Ford's European model range will be all-electric by 2030

Ford Motor Co on Wednesday said its car line-up in Europe will be all-electric by 2030 as the US automaker races to get ahead of CO2 emissions targets and looming bans in some countries on fossil fuel vehicles.

The car maker said it will invest $1bn (roughly R14,733,000,000) to convert its vehicle assembly plant in Cologne, Germany, to become the US automaker's first electric vehicle facility in Europe.

Ford said its first European-built, all-electric passenger vehicle will be produced at the facility from 2023 and it is considering building a second model there.

The No 2 US automaker said that by 2026 it will have electric versions of all its passenger cars on sale in Europe and that by 2030 two thirds of its commercial vehicle sales in Europe will be fully electric or plug-in hybrids.

Ford dominates the US and European markets for petrol-powered commercial vehicles with shares of 40% and almost 15%, respectively.

The car maker said its commercial vehicle business is “key to future growth and profitability” and it will rely on new products, service and on Ford's strategic alliance with Volkswagen AG.

Ford said this month it was “doubling down” on connected electric vehicles and said it will invest $22bn (roughly R324,126,000,000) in electrification up to 2025, nearly twice what it had previously committed to EVs.

This week Jaguar Land Rover, owned by India's Tata Motors, said its luxury Jaguar brand would be entirely electric by 2025 and the carmaker will launch e-models of its entire line-up by 2030.

Last month, Ford's Detroit rival General Motors Co said it aims to have an entirely zero-emission line-up by 2035.