Ford Plugs In To PHEV Program For 2012

In 2008, the Ford Motor Company said unequivocally that it would wait to see how demand for PHEVs developed before committing company resources to producing one. Ford has been developing and testing a PHEV in Southern California for about two years, but wasn't willing to pull the trigger on the program, in part, due to the sour economy and lingering questions about whether the electrical grid could support a large number of PHEVs.

Put that all aside. Ford announced last month that its PHEV program had been green-lighted and the company will bring a plug-in platform to market in 2012. Ford has been testing a plug-in Escape hybrid in California with Southern California Edison and plans to bring a battery-electric commercial van, a battery-electric sedan and a PHEV to market in 2010, 2011 and 2012 respectively. The PHEV is expected to delivery a 30-mile all-electric range before turning to an on-board gas generator for additional power. Ford says the initial production run of the Escape-based PHEV will be about 5,000 vehicles. The test vehicles average about 120 miles per gallon in city driving conditions.

Ford announced that Johnson Controls-Saft will provide the Li-ion battery system for the PHEV. The battery system includes the cells, as well as the electronic controls needed to regulate charging and discharging. The battery will be manufactured in France, but Johnson Controls-Saft has indicated that it plans to move production to the United States at a later date.

Ford has also announced that it plans to expand its utility testing program to seven additional electricity providers through a previously announced partnership with the Electric Power Research Institute. Expanded testing will take place with utilities in Alabama, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, North Carolina, and Ohio. The purpose of the testing is to examine regional charging and performance differences, and the impact of the vehicles on the existing electrical grids.