Climate Lobbying Overview: Ford Motor is actively engaged on climate policy, with mixed but increasingly positive engagement. In 2021-23, Ford has supported an EU zero-emissions CO2 2035 target for light-duty vehicles and appeared to support higher-range US federal GHG emissions standards for light-duty vehicles, while opposing a UK zero-emission vehicle mandate. Ford retains memberships to some regressive trade associations, many of which have been key in opposing climate regulation in the US and EU.

Top-line Messaging on Climate Policy: Ford has consistently supported the Paris Agreement in 2021-23, including in its 2022 Sustainability Report. Ford’s Chairman, Bill Ford, praised US re-entry into the agreement in January 2021. In April 2021, Ford was part of the We Mean Business Coalition call for the US to adopt an ambitious nationally determined contribution (NDC) emissions reduction target at the UNFCCC to reach net-zero by 2050. Similarly, in Europe, Ford appeared to support the EU’s Green Deal and 2050 net-zero targets in a May 2022 joint letter. Ford stated support for emissions reductions in line with the below 2°C ambition in its 2021 Sustainability Report, and in a February 2022 media interview, Ford's CEO, Jim Farley, showed support for automotive climate provisions in the proposed US Build Back Better Act.

Engagement with Climate-Related Regulations: In the US, Ford has had increasingly positive engagement on GHG emissions and federal fuel economy standards in 2021-22. In a September 2021 consultation response, Ford stated support for the EPA’s mid-range, but not higher-range, proposal for GHG emissions standards for light-duty vehicles, while also supporting numerous flexibilities in compliance to weaken its stringency. Yet more positively, in a December 2021 statement reported by the New York Times, Ford stated support for the higher-range increase in such GHG emissions standards.

In an October 2021 testimony at NHTSA’s public hearing on CAFE standards, a senior Ford Executive stated general support with minor exceptions for higher proposed CAFE rules for passenger cars and light vans. Additionally, Ford’s 2022 Sustainability Report stated that the company “supports EPA’s proposals to increase the stringency of fuel economy standards, which intend to deliver similar GHG reductions as the California Framework Agreement”. The company also appeared to support a low-carbon modal shift in May 2022 public comments to the Clean Air Association of the Northeast States, where it advocated for “actions to encourage public transit”.

Regarding heavy-duty vehicle policy, at the federal level, Ford’s May 2022 consultation response on the EPA's Clean Truck Plan did not state a clear position on a proposal in the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) “Clean Trucks Plan” that would tighten “Phase 2” GHG emissions standards for heavy-duty vehicles for 2027 and beyond for certain vehicle categories. At the state level, in its 2022 Sustainability Report, Ford expressed support for California’s ability to set its own stronger GHG emission standards for vehicles under the Clear Air Act, and in June 2022 intervened on the side of the EPA against a challenge to the state’s authority to do so.

In the EU, Ford advocated for the EU's proposed 2035 zero-emissions light-duty vehicle GHG target for the first time in May 2022, expressing its support in Ford Europe’s 2022 Sustainability Digest, and a joint letter to the European Council and Parliament. Moreover, in March 2023, a senior executive from Ford Motor appeared to publicly criticize last-minute attempted changes to the terms of the EU 2035 zero-emission CO2 target that would weaken the proposal's stringency, in a statement reported by Politico. In March 2023, Ford also signed a joint letter advocating for EU states to adopt a stringent EU zero-emissions 2035 CO2 target for cars and vans without an e-fuels loophole.

In New Zealand, however, a November 2021 consultation response indicated that Ford did not support higher proposed CO2 targets for light-duty vehicles included in New Zealand's Clean Car Bill, arguing that the targets proposed in the Bill are not feasible and called for a two-year delay to account for local market transition factors.

In the US, Ford further appears to have supported a 50% economy-wide US GHG emissions target for 2030 in a 2021 joint letter, and stated support for the Clean Energy Tax Credits as part of the Build Back Better Act in a February 2022 joint letter.

Positioning on Energy Transition: Ford has mixed but increasingly positive engagement on policies to phase out ICE vehicles. In the US, in a May 2022 consultation response, Ford took an unclear position on California's proposed Advanced Clean Cars II regulation, which would require an increasing percentage of new light-duty EV sales each year until a 100% ZEV mandate in 2035, calling for minor exceptions, such as allowing the usage of converted vehicle values in the calculation of ZEV requirement performance. However, an August 2022 Ford press release appeared supportive of the rule, noting that the "CARB Advanced Clean Cars II rule is a landmark standard that will define clean transportation and set an example for the United States". In November 2021, the company signed a global pledge made at COP26 supporting a global phase-out of ICE-powered vehicles in leading markets by 2035 and globally by 2040. In the EU, in a May 2022 joint letter, Ford urged policymakers to support a stringent 2035 phase-out date for ICE vehicles. A September 2021 Ford UK consultation response appeared to advocate for only plug-in hybrids, alongside BEVS and FCEVs, to be sold as part of the UK’s ICE phase-out in 2030-35, and more negatively appeared to oppose a UK ZEV mandate. In Australia, in its October 2022 National Electric Vehicle Strategy consultation response, Ford appeared to generally support the electrification of transport with minor exceptions, including conditioning an EV transition on requirements around charging infrastructure, power grid upgrades and consumer awareness, as well as noting that "different markets will vary in their pace of transition”.

Regarding US state-level heavy-duty vehicle policies, in May 2022 public comments to the Clean Air Association of the Northeast States, appear to support the Multi-State Medium and Heavy Duty Zero Emission Vehicle Action Plan to accelerate the transition to zero-emission heavy-duty vehicles.

Ford has mostly positive engagement with policies promoting electric vehicles in 2021-22. A Politico report from May 2021 suggests that in the US, Ford advocated to policymakers for increased US spending on EV infrastructure, while in a September 2021 US consultation response, the company expressed support for consumer EV incentives and a more ambitious EV charging network. Ford appeared to support EV tax credits in the US Build Back Better Act, including in a CEO interview with Yahoo News in February 2022, as well as in a June 2022 joint letter to US congressional leaders.

Industry Association Governance: Ford discloses its membership of key industry associations in its 2021 Political Engagement Report, which includes the industry associations’ climate policy positions and Ford’s alignment and influence around this. The company retains memberships to several regressive trade associations including the European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA), the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM), the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, and the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM). It is also a member of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI), which has engaged negatively with Australian climate policy for light-duty vehicles. Ford sits on the board of the German Automotive Association (VDA) and the US Chamber of Commerce, both of which have negative engagement with Paris-aligned climate policy. Ford was formerly a member of the Truck and Engine Manufacturers Association (EMA), which has highly negative engagement on US heavy-duty climate policy, but left the industry group in January 2023 without appearing to publicly disclose the reasoning behind the change.

A detailed assessment of the company's corporate review on climate policy engagement can be found on InfluenceMap's CA100+ Investor Hub here.

InfluenceMap collects and assesses evidence of corporate climate policy engagement on a weekly basis, depending on the availability of information from each specific data source (for more information see our methodology). While this analysis flows through to the company’s scores each week, the summary above is updated periodically. This summary was last updated in Q2 2023.