Ford’s Bob Holycross Talks with Retirees About Sustainability's Place in Transition to EVs

Written By Paul Kampe

Jun 30, 2023

Bob Holycross, VP, Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering; recently spoke to the Ford Retired Engineering Executives group about sustainability’s role in the transition to electrification as well as other sustainability-related topics.

Sustainability is a buzzword to some, but it’s long been part of everything we do at Ford, Bob Holycross, VP, Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering told the Ford Retired Engineering Executives at the group’s recent gathering.

The company’s annual sustainability report, which has been combined with Ford’s annual financial report in recent years, is one prime example that reflects the effort to integrate sustainability across the organization, Holycross said. Having a focus on sustainability is also a competitive advantage for the company — not just within the automotive industry but across all business sectors, he added.

Sustainability can’t just be a part that gets bolted on at the end,” Holycross said. “It has to be inherent as a culture.

Holycross has served as the company’s top environment and safety officer since 2019. He is responsible for implementing sustainability best practices throughout the company and leading Ford’s global environment and safety strategy, policy and performance.

Having begun his career as a Ford College Graduate nearly 30 years ago, Holycross also shared with the group how sustainability fits into the company’s transition to electrification and countered many of the dissenting theories opposed to electrification, including those related to environmental benefits and batteries. He noted that around 20,000 miles in service is the point where EVs offset the environmental impact of an internal combustion vehicle.

While most of the mineral processing for EV batteries currently takes place in China, Ford has an opportunity to bring that work to the U.S., Holycross said. The company is also working with organizations like the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance to examine working conditions, potential human rights violations and the environmental impact of mining related to battery production. Ford will be auditing its partners and third parties to ensure they are following Ford’s code of conduct.

This is more than just us saying we’re going to hold suppliers and others to our standards,” Holycross said. “We’re going to make sure they comply.

Holycross said Ford is working to accelerate our progress to reach carbon neutrality ahead of our target of 2050. He also noted BlueOval City, Ford’s all-new West Tennessee campus where the company’s next-generation electric truck will be built, is contributing to Ford’s clean manufacturing goal: The site is designed to be the company’s first carbon neutral vehicle manufacturing and battery site.

The 3,600-acre campus also includes a fully integrated BlueOval SK battery manufacturing site, where battery cells and arrays will be built and battery packs will be assembled. The company is growing its clean manufacturing footprint with the two facilities built in an area rich in renewable energy, according to Holycross. Geothermal energy will be used to run the paint shops, and applicable in other ways, as the company works toward its goal to power all plants globally with renewable and carbon-free electricity by 2035.

Ford is also using recovered energy from the site’s utility infrastructure and geothermal system to provide carbon-free heat for the assembly plant.

“There is a lot of opportunity to make these truly carbon neutral and environmentally friendly sites from the beginning,” Holycross said. “When you start with a whole new facility, you can put that infrastructure in from the beginning.”

Battery production can be water-intensive due to requirements for cleanliness and temperature control, Holycross said, but the facilities are designed to conserve water. They will also have a sophisticated wastewater management system designed to help protect the local environment. In addition, the location will be a zero-waste-to-landfill site, as Ford continues working to minimize or reduce waste in our operations and to ensure the waste we do generate does not make it to landfills.

Following his presentation, Holycross also fielded several questions from the audience regarding other sustainability-related topics.