Confronting the business and technical challenges, Ford is committed to an electrification strategy that foresees a future which has different types of electrified vehicles, depending on customers’ needs and usage requirements. There will not be a one-size-fits-all approach, but a more diverse, smart application of different types of electrified vehicle technology.
Ford recognizes that the challenge of vehicle electrification is anything but simple:
- Future technologies, such as battery electric vehicle (BEV) and Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) systems, are still in their development stage. New-generation electric vehicles will depend on making lithium-ion battery technology, commonly used in consumer electronics from laptops to mobile phones, viable for the more intensive requirements of the automotive environment. And lithium-ion battery packs for automobiles are still too expensive for mass-market cars.
- Pursuing a new technological direction for the automobile is an expensive process, requiring investment levels conservatively forecast in the billions of dollars.
- Electrification also brings with it new stakeholders who are key to the successful transformation of our personal vehicles from their dependence on traditional internal combustion engines to more sophisticated, fuel saving, reduced-emission powerplants of the future. Electrical utilities are foremost among these stakeholders, as new-generation electrical vehicles will need to be charged from the power grid.
How will Ford overcome these challenges?
- Ford is incorporating electrified powertrains into two major new global product platforms on the horizon – one a new Focus-size C-car platform and another for Fusion-size, CD segment vehicles. Because the product platforms are global, they offer tremendous production economies of scale to Ford, a key factor in enabling lower component prices.
- Ford’s plan calls for strategic partnering with key suppliers who bring the technical expertise, financial solidity and collaborative spirit. It also has begun collaborations with other stakeholders, like electrical utility companies, who will also be central to the electrified vehicle experience of the future.
Quotes
“Our electrification plan is about executing a key piece of the Ford Blueprint for Sustainability. That’s the strategic engine driving our approach to advanced technology vehicles. We’re building on our near-term momentum with technologies such as EcoBoost, increased hybrid production and now electrification. These are all actions that will make a difference, and doing it globally – leveraging platforms, organizations and talent – demonstrates the true power of the ‘One Ford’ approach..”
- Derrick Kuzak, Ford Group Vice President, Product Development
“We’ve explored and tested many different technologies for the future and we’re convinced that electrification is the next major shift in the light-duty transport sector. That’s why we’re making this a significant part of our Blueprint for Sustainability.”
- Nancy Gioia, Director of Sustained Mobility Technology for Ford Motor Company
Information obtained from Ford Motor Company.
