Ford Motor Co. (F), claiming a one-fifth cut in energy used to make cars since 2006, pledged to reduce consumption in its factories an additional 25 percent by 2016.
The second-largest U.S. automaker used 2,778 kilowatt hours to produce each vehicle in its global factories last year, down 22 percent from 3,576 kwh in 2006, it said in its annual sustainability report today. While Ford is using more energy- efficient tools and production methods, part of the gain is from increased use of factory capacity as sales rebounded, said John Viera, the automaker’s global director of sustainability.
“Our plants are running at a higher capacity,” Viera said in an interview. “That’s definitely going to be a factor.”
Environmental efficiency is a cornerstone of Chief Executive Officer Alan Mulally’s turnaround plan. As Ford has broadened its lineup with small cars such as the Fiesta subcompact, the fuel-efficiency of its U.S. vehicles has improved almost 17 percent since 2006, Executive Chairman Bill Ford said in a letter in the report. Factory emissions of carbon dioxide, a global-warming gas, fell 48 percent from 2000 to 2010.