Another WORLD first for proudly South African carmaker

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Ford South Africa as a global carmaker continues to go from strength to strength. The Blue Oval’s Silverton plant in Pretoria has the honour of being the first to ramp-up full-scale production of the Ford Ranger Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV). Exclusively produced in South Africa for global export, the PHEV represents a key component to global sustainability for the carmaker. At the same time, Silverton plant is adopting more environmentally friendly and sustainable manufacturing processes.

Ockert Berry, VP Operations at Ford South Africa said the following. “The addition of the high-tech Ranger PHEV is an important milestone. This makes Silverton central to Ford’s Ranger sustainability efforts. We are the global source for both the new PHEV and established Ranger line-ups in over 100 markets,” said Berry. Launching in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand in 2025, the South African-made Ranger PHEV combines a 2.3-litre EcoBoost petrol engine with a 75 kW electric motor and 11.8 kWh battery. Thus, the Ranger’s 3 500kg towing capacity is unchanged, and the PHEV introduces Pro Power Onboard.

A GLOBAL CARMAKER

Workers build the new PHEV battery at an exclusive assembly station. Image: Ford South Africa

As a result, Ford’s Silverton plant is proudly designated the global hub for everything Ranger. Moreover, it’s a testament to the facility’s significant upgrades and enhanced adaptability to produce PHEV alongside other Rangers. Here are some fascinating insights into what it takes to be a global carmaker:

Silverton’s capacity is 200 000 vehicles annually (720 per day).
Approximately 200 Ranger PHEVs are built in both left- and right-hand drive.
Europe is the primary export region for the Ranger, including the PHEV in 2025.
Ranger PHEV will be Ford’s first Ranger exports to Australia and New Zealand from Silverton.
This necessitated a new PHEV Battery Assembly Plant with 62 000 annual battery pack production.
The battery plant features a 1 376 m2 assembly line and 2 116 m2 logistics warehouse.
The Trim, Chassis and Final Assembly (TCF) line was modified to integrate PHEV components.
This includes a new battery sub-assembly line with dedicated areas to ensure high-voltage work meets safety standards.

ECO EFFORTS

Built in Mzansi for the rest of the world. Image: Ford South Africa

Along with extensive upgrades to support Ranger PHEV production, the carmaker is implementing several environmentally friendly enhancements, too. “Waste reduction and recycling initiatives include a new water recycling project. In the Paint Shop this conserves around 14 400 m³ of water annually,” Berry says. Likewise, a new scrap yard increases the amount of cardboard, paper and plastic waste that is sorted on site and recycled. Ford’s objective is for zero waste-to-landfill transfer across its worldwide operations.

All initiatives are complemented by the Silverton plant’s pioneering solar carpark, which uses more than 30 000 solar panels to generate 13.4 MW of electricity. In the event of power outage, this is sufficient to power the entire facility for a day. “We are very close to bolstering our solar system with other alternative energy. A new storage supply will take us a big step closer to exclusively using carbon-free electricity for all of our manufacturing operations,” concludes Berry.