Ford Increasing Investment in Battery Tech

FordFordUnited States of America, 1903 > present92 models
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is following Toyota'sToyotaJapan, 1937 > present155 models
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lead and investing heavily in batteries and its technology. By the end of the year it will have five hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or electric vehicles on the market, and it is working to create its own proprietary battery technology for the future. Its electric vehicle team now employs over 1,000 engineers whose major goal is to reduce the cost of hybrids by a third. 

Ford predicts that 25% of its sales will use battery systems to store energy for propulsive power by 2020. Today, that figure is just 3%. It has changed the name of its advanced research center to the "Ford Advanced Electrification Center."

Electric and hybrid car popularity is growing in the US, albeit slowly, In the first half of 2011, EVs and hybrids were 2.2% of the US car market. In the same period of 2012 that figure is 3.4%. Until now, EV and hybrid market share in the US had been falling. The 2.2% market share last year was the lowest recently recorded. In 2009, their market share was 2.8%. 

Ford was just a tiny part of the EV and hybrid market in the US though. It held 4% of the market in the first half of 2012. The leader in the US is Toyota, which has a 72% share of the EV and hybrid market. 

"We believe that the electrification of vehicles is going to continue as the battery cost comes down, as we move to generate electricity cleanly," said Ford CEO Alan Mulally.

Source: Automotive News