Ford to retool Oakville facility into an EV hub with $1.8 billion investment

Ford Motor Company is investing $1.8 billion in its Oakville Assembly Complex to retool it into a high-volume hub of electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing in Canada.

The company shared in a press statement that this project is a key part of its plan to scale EV production.

The retooling and modernization project will begin in the second quarter of 2024. The retooled plant that will produce next-generation passenger EVs in Canada for the North American market will be renamed the Oakville Electric Vehicle Complex.

The current 487-acre Oakville site includes three body shops, one paint building and one assembly building. The transformed campus will feature a new 407,000-square-foot on-site battery plant that will utilize cells and arrays from BlueOval SK Battery Park in Kentucky. Oakville workers will take these components and assemble battery packs that will then be installed in vehicles assembled on-site.

The investment allows Ford to repurpose and transform existing buildings into a state-of-the-art facility that leverages Ford of Canada’s skilled and experienced workforce.

“Ford’s commitment to invest in OAC retooling and upskilling signals a bright future for Canadian EV production and for Canadian auto sector employment,” said Lana Payne, Unifor National President. “The transformation of the Oakville plant is an important step towards a stronger industry and testament to the hard work, skills and dedication of our Unifor Oakville Assembly Complex members.”