Ford readies mix of all-electric and plug-in hybrids
Amid questions over the viability of General Motors and Chrysler, Ford will detail its fuel-efficient car strategy and show off an all-electric Focus and hybrid Fusion sedan on Wednesday.
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Company executives are scheduled to demonstrate the cars and update its "sustainable mobility technology" plans at the New York International Auto Show. The company says it is on track to bring both all-electric cars and plug-in hybrid vehicles using a new generation of lithium ion batteries to market starting next year.
The company already offers hybrid vehicles that use a combination of a gasoline engine and a battery, charged by regenerative braking. Next year, it will release an all-electric commercial Transit Connect van, which is expected to have a range of 100 miles and top speed of 70 miles per hour.
Ford is also working with auto supplier Magna International to release an all-electric compact sedan in 2011, which will get about 70 percent better mileage than non-hybrid models. This car will be a Focus-size vehicle that will go 100 miles on a charge, said Greg Frenette, the assistant chief engineer of battery electric-vehicle applications at Ford.
Then in 2012, Ford expects to release a plug-in version of one of its current hybrid vehicles. The anticipated mileage will be about 120 miles per gallon for the first 30 miles and then the vehicle will get the mileage of a traditional hybrid--in the 40 miles per gallon range, Frenette said.
Ford expects to price the electric and plug-in hybrid cars with a slight premium, comparable to what consumers pay for hybrids today, he said.
At the 2009 Geneva Motor Show earlier this year, Ford showed its Tourneo Connect battery electric vehicle concept vehicle. The technology will be applied to passenger cars.
(Credit: Ford Motor)"As we put these out into showrooms, they have to be fully competitive with other vehicles," Frenette said. "Also, I suspect that a number of incentives can be applied toward (purchase) so that the net cost to the customer should be something affordable."
The key to bringing down the cost of these vehicles is higher volume of battery manufacturing, he said. Because they have larger batteries, all-electric cars--which Ford refers to as battery electric-- will be tougher to bring down in cost.
"Range anxiety" overblown?
With a wave of electric vehicles aimed at mainstream buyers coming to market next year, Ford is placing its bets on both all-electrics and plug-in hybrids. Toyota, too, is working on both a small pure electric car and a plug-in hybrid version of the Prius hybrid due next year.
By contrast, General Motors is focusing much of its electric drivetrain development on a gas-electric combination slotted for use with the Chevy Volt and potentially other cars.
The obvious advantage of a gas-electric combination is a longer range since a person taking a long drive can refuel at a gas station.
But a raft of companies, including Nissan, Mitsubishi, and start-ups Tesla Motors, Detroit Electric, and Miles Electric, are developing pure electric cars, betting that a car with a roughly 100-mile range will appeal to consumers.
In Ford's case, it expects that its battery electric sedan will primarily fill the role of a household's second car in North America. The battery, supplied by Johnson Controls Saft, will be able to store about 20 kilowatt-hours, said Frenette.
"People will find in a course of week that using a battery-electric vehicle not only saves costs on the fuel bill, but it also makes a positive statement about their concern about the environment, the global warming issue, national energy security and the convenience of not going to a gas station," he said.
On a regular U.S. 110-volt outlet, a battery that size would require a 12-hour charge to replenish. Although it's not necessary, people could install a 220-volt outlet at home to cut charge time in half or plug in at public places, like malls or offices, Frenette said. He said ultimately, two-hour charges are possible and safe.
Unlike GM and Chrysler, Ford has not taken government aid. Fuel-efficient technologies and electric vehicles were a key part of the turnaround plan Ford presented to the U.S. government late last year.
Martin LaMonica is a senior writer for CNET's Green Tech blog. He started at CNET News in 2002, covering IT and Web development. Before that, he was executive editor at IT publication InfoWorld. E-mail Martin. 
Sell them for slightly less than current hybrids. I understand the need to recoup the R&D cost, but if we want to get off our "addiction" to foreign oil then we need incentives. Either that or extend the $4000 tax credit for high mileage autos purchased this year to include these type of vehicles when they become available.
As long as they don't just shift from foreign oil to foreign coal to make the power for the cars. Electric won't be any better for the planet then gas cars but if we can produce all the power required in country we can start to control our own destiny.
This is actually two issues.
1. Where oil or coal comes from makes almost no difference to how good it is for the planet. To get off fossil fuels anytime soon, we need more nuclear power.
2. Foreign coal isn't an issue, as the US has the worlds largest coal reserves.
Sadly because the death of thousands, billions squandered and civil rights abridged is not enough of an incentive. A few thousand bucks might do the trick.
I look in the mirror as I write this. (That's metaphorically because I'm not a touch typist)
Anyway with a hybrid you can drain the battery, but the internal combustion engine would take over.
As to 100 mile range. Most daily to/from commutes are less than that. And most people rarely drive away their comfort zone around town. If you need long distance you choose another vehicle.
1. How many watts does this use to charge? How much will my home electricity bill go up?
2. For the people in the north/snow country - Will this car have the low friction tires that are completely useless in snow country for 4-5 months per year?
3. Will this hybrid or total electric car have functional air conditioning? How does use of heat or air conditioning affect the 100 mile per charge limit?
2. Very good question. I'd have to say that the standard tires on these vehicles probably fall in that category..though I wouldn't imagine it would be any more difficult to swap them out than with any other car if traction's a concern. You'd definitely lose some mileage though...so you'd want to swap them back to the low-rolling-resistance ones in summer. Total conjecture on my part, of course
3. As far as I know, all "modern" electric/hybrid vehicles being announced/showcased have fully-functional heaters/AC's. And yeah...the use of those things would decrease the range...but it's not clear if the 100 mile range (or any other ranges announced by other manufacturers) is figured with them on or not. I'm pretty sure for normal vehicles, the EPA ratings have to be done with the AC on (if equipped), so hopefully the electric ranges being thrown around are likewise calculated with the environmental controls activate. A very good question though...hopefully someone has some concrete answers.
If you fly instead of drive because of this, then you just spewed more into the atmosphere than any conventional car ever would..
Most cities now have electric power. Unless, of course, terrorists "bring down the grid."
IMHO a 200 mile electric car is probably more of a legitimate target until charging stations become common AND the charge times become reasonable. Either that, or the Chevy Volt approach of putting a range-extending engine onboard.
Maybe we're going about this the wrong way. Instead of just looking for alternative energy sources for current vehicles, we should look for alternative vehicles. If we had decent transit systems connecting every town, then all we'd need cars for is the last mile. The driving limit issue is eliminated.
Perhaps the government should spend more money on bullet train infrastructure than bailing out some of these guys. That's something that would not only create a lot of jobs, but also help save the planet while we're at it.
Since most of these things would probably never happen, all I can hope for is that battery technology improves rapidly over the next few years. Frankly, I'd be happy to see less cars on the road, because I'm sick and tired of sitting in traffic for hours everyday.
- by gripperdon May 2, 2009 12:40 PM PDT
- AC is the killer, EPA is NOT run with the AC on. It cost me 20% reduction on mu Altima Hybrid. I want AC included in the Data the test should be run on 90F or greater Days.
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