While Chrysler might be coming out of this year’s Detroit Auto Show looking jealous of the Chevrolet Volt, Ford seems to be trying to one-up them with a pure electric car. It looks as if, in the age of acronyms, pure electrics are going to be called BEVs (for battery electric vehicle) so that’s the nomenclature I’ll go with here.

Ford is looking toward a four year plan for hybrids, plug-in hybrids and BEVs. With a slew of announcements that caught me a little off guard, my image of Ford changed pretty significantly.

First, of course, is more talk about the 41 mpg Ford Fusion. They’re proud of it, and they should be. Depending on the price of this car, it could steal some significant market share from the Prius while helping decrease fuel use in America.

Next they announced that they’ll have a commercial BEV van available in the US on 2010 followed by a small car in 2011. The car will be based on the Fusion and marketed in urban areas. They’re aiming for the car to have a 100 mile operating range and a production run of between 5,000 and 10,000 units.

They made it clear that this won’t be possible without efforts going forward in infrastructure. With a hat-tip to the new administration here in the U.S. Mr. Ford called on the government to help create a charging infrastructure, beginning with urban markets.

The full press release(es) from Ford are below:

FORD PLANNING NEW ELECTRIC, HYBRID AND PLUG-IN VEHICLES IN NEXT 4 YEARS; PARTNERS HELP SPEED VEHICLES TO MARKET



Ford announces aggressive new
electric vehicle plan to bring pure battery-powered vehicles, hybrids
and plug-in hybrid vehicles to market

To start, Ford will introduce in North America:

 

• A new battery electric commercial van in 2010
• A new battery electric small car in 2011 to be developed jointly with Magna International
• Next-generation hybrid vehicles, including a plug-in version in 2012

These vehicles pave the way for
additional applications in the future, using Ford’s high-volume global
small car and midsize car platforms

Ford is partnering with high-tech partners to bring electric-powered vehicles to market quickly and more affordably

DETROIT, Jan. 11, 2009 – Ford Motor
Company today launched an aggressive plan to bring pure
battery-electric vehicles, next-generation hybrids and a plug-in hybrid
to market quickly and more affordably during the next four years.



The plan, unveiled at the 2009 North
American International Auto Show, signals the next phase in Ford’s
commitment to deliver the best or among the best fuel efficiency with
every new vehicle it introduces and to make fuel efficiency solutions
affordable for millions of customers.



“Ford is heading in the direction
America and our customers want us to go, which is a green, high-tech
and global future,” said Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford. “I think
that is where society would like to see the entire industry go, and
Ford is going to lead that charge.”



To start, Ford will introduce in North America during the next four years:



A new battery electric commercial van in 2010

A new battery electric small car in 2011 to be developed jointly with Magna International

Next-generation hybrid vehicles, including a plug-in version by 2012

These new vehicles pave the way for
additional applications in the future, using Ford’s high-volume global
small car and midsize car platforms.



“Next-generation hybrids, plug-in
hybrids and pure battery powered vehicles are the logical next steps in
our pursuit of greater fuel economy and sustainability,” said Derrick
Kuzak, Ford’s group vice president of Global Product Development. “A
growing number of consumers want that kind of choice, and we want to be
in a position to deliver it to them across multiple vehicle categories.”



The use of global platforms showcases
Ford’s ability to develop products with worldwide market opportunities
in mind. Powering the company’s electrification drive is the company’s
“One Ford” global product vision.



“Around the world, we have become one
Ford team, leveraging technologies and assets across markets and
vehicle lines,” said Alan Mulally, Ford president and chief executive
officer. “That is allowing us to deliver products our customers want
and value even more quickly, including our progress with
electric-powered vehicles.”



Partners Enable Speed to Market

Ford is partnering with high-tech
partners to bring electric-powered vehicles to market quickly and
affordably. Today, the company announced a new collaboration with Magna
International to bring a new lithium ion battery-powered small car to
market in North America in 2011.



The new electric vehicle will have a range of up to 100 miles on a single charge, without using a single drop of gasoline.



“We strongly believe in collaboration
because it drives innovation up and keeps costs down,” said Don Walker,
co-CEO of Magna International. “Bringing a fully functional electric
vehicle quickly to market that meets customer expectations in terms of
cost and performance is a great testament to both our companies’
expertise and collaborative efforts.”



Ford already has other collaborations
and partnerships to accelerate the commercialization of electrified
vehicles. Southern California Edison and the Electric Power Research
Institute currently are road testing a fleet of Ford Escape Hybrid
Plug-ins. Work with the utility industry partners is focused on
understanding customer usage and the interconnectivity of vehicles with
the electric grid.



Ford also has entered into a four-way
“Eco-Partnership” in China to expand its global expertise with
electric-powered vehicles. Ford, Changan Auto Group and the cities of
Chongqing, China and Denver, Colo., are exploring ways to develop
projects to help further energy security and promote economic and
environmental sustainability. Areas of focus could include developing
electrified vehicle technologies, green city planning, efficient urban
transportation and grid integration.



The U.S. Department of Energy awarded
a million grant to Ford’s development of PHEVs. The DOE currently
is road testing one of Ford’s Escape Hybrid Plug-ins to support
technological innovation related to the electrification of
transportation.



In addition, in the UK, Ford is
collaborating with Tanfield, the market leader for electric vehicles,
to offer battery-electric versions of the Ford Transit and Transit
Connect commercial vehicles for fleet customers in the UK and European
markets.



Ford’s aggressive new electrification
plan represents the next step in the company’s sustainability plan.
Unveiled in 2007, the plan includes a commitment to greater vehicle
fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions as part of Ford’s longer-term
commitment to addressing climate change and energy security.



“Our focus is to provide fuel
efficiency for millions of customers,” said Kuzak. “Rather than
low-volume niche vehicles or demonstration fleets, we are committed to
developing advanced technology that is widely affordable and
accessible.”



Near-term elements of Ford’s
sustainability plan include improving today’s gasoline engines to make
them more fuel efficient with reduced emissions. Recent accomplishments
include:

• The Ford Fusion is now America’s most fuel efficient mid-size sedan for both hybrid and conventional gasoline models
• The
  four-cylinder Ford Fusion S is now certified at 34 mpg highway and 23
  mpg in the city, topping the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord
• The
  new Ford Fusion Hybrid and Mercury Milan Hybrids deliver up to 41 miles
  per gallon in the city – eight miles per gallon better than the Toyota
  Camry Hybrid. In addition, the base Fusion with its 4-cylinder engine
  and six-speed transmission is EPA certified with best-in-class fuel
  economy of 34 mpg on the highway
• The Ford Focus with its
  2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine and manual transmission delivers 35 mpg on
  the highway, 5 mpg better than Toyota Corolla’s 2.4-liter 4-cylinder
  engine and 2 mpg better than Honda Fit’s 1.5-liter 4-cylinder, both
  also with manual transmissions
• The all-new 2009 Ford
  F-150 – which is Motor Trend magazine’s Truck of the Year – achieves 3
  mpg more than the Toyota Tundra pickup on the highway and 1 mpg better
  in the city with its 4.6-liter V-8 engine, compared to Toyota’s
  4.7-liter V-8. The F-150’s larger 5.4-liter V-8 achieves 2 mpg better
  on the highway than the facing Tundra engine
• The 2009
  Ford Escape with its new 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine and six-speed
  transmission achieves 28 mpg on the highway, the same as Toyota’s RAV4
  and 1 mpg better than the Honda CR-V, both with 4-cylinder engines, too
• The
  Ford Expedition achieves 20 mpg on the highway, beating both of the
  Toyota Sequoia’s V-8 engines by as much as 3 mpg on the highway
• The Ford Flex is the most fuel-efficient standard seven-passenger vehicle on the market

This year, Ford also will introduce its EcoBoost engines on the Ford Flex crossover and Lincoln MKS sedan.



The direct-injection turbocharged
EcoBoost technology allows for fuel economy improvements of up to 20
percent and CO2 reductions of up to 15 percent versus larger
displacement engines – while improving performance. On the Flex and the
Lincoln MKS, EcoBoost will provide V-8 performance with V-6 engine fuel
efficiency.



By 2013, Ford expects annual EcoBoost engine volumes to top 750,000 in North America.



Also this year, Ford is doubling its
production and offerings of hybrid vehicles with the new Fusion and
Milan hybrids. During the past five years, Ford has sold nearly 100,000
hybrid vehicles, starting with the introduction of the Ford Escape
Hybrid and Mercury Mariner Hybrid, the most fuel efficient SUVs in the
world.

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