(Photo from Marco Krage on Flickr)
Ford Motor Company is looking into the future of automotive technology while dealing with the murky present in its recent dealings with Johnson Controls-Saft and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). Ford has partnered with Johnson Controls-Saft to produce lithium-ion battery packs for the motor company’s PHEV model starting in 2012. Ford’s PHEV demo fleet already uses li-ion packs from the battery maker and the agreement would create 5,000 packs per year from 2012-2016.
Ford’s collaboration with EPRI has led to agreements by seven utility companies in the Northeast to help test out the automaker’s PHEV fleet. Ford has been working with Southern California Edison since 2007 and regional utilities like New York Power Authority, American Electric Power in Columbus and Progress Energy in Raleigh are joining the effort. EPRI will research PHEV performance on a region-by-region basis and track individual vehicle performance to determine the viability of Ford’s vehicles on the mass market. EPRI and Ford will compare notes on the consequences of PHEV use on grid integrity to determine if the vehicle would cause undue harm to traditional electrical use.
The Ford PHEV uses an Escape SUV body to appeal to American drivers still interested in auto aesthetics. The vehicle can run up to 30 miles on all-electric power before resorting to a gas/battery hybrid system. The automaker claims that the PHEV can achieve 120 MPG when running on all-electric before achieving far more modest fuel efficiency in hybrid mode. Ford has designed the PHEV to charge completely within eight hours using a typical 120V household outlet.
The Ford Escape PHEV in question is part of the company’s gradual effort to enter the world of green vehicles. We are familiar with the hybrid versions of the Ford Escape and Edge that still pale in comparison to vehicles offered by Toyota and Honda. Ford plans to sell a battery-electric vehicle (BEV) van to corporate fleet customers by 2010 and a BEV car by 2011. These plans are extremely hopeful for any American automaker but Ford seems poised to emerge as the lone survivor of the Big Three. It seems likely, however, that these timetables will be pushed back a bit in recognition of current market conditions.
