Ford moving full speed ahead with lithium-ion battery development
04/21/2009, 1:57 PM
By Drew Johnson
In an effort to shift from gas to electric powertrians, Ford says it vastly increasing its lithium-ion battery development efforts. Ford hopes to offer the majority of its vehicles with electric drivetrains within the next decade, with battery technology being a major pillar of that plan.
Ford says it has partnered with a number of suppliers and universities for its lithium-ion battery development, with the first evidence of those partnerships to surface next year. “Ford is strongly positioned to accelerate its electric vehicle strategy this year thanks to the significant research we’ve already completed,” Susan Cischke, Ford group vice president in charge of sustainability, environment and safety engineering, told The Detroit News. “Our collaborative work with suppliers and partners will help us be one of the first automakers to bring the next generation of personal transportation to market.”
Ford’s first electric vehicle will be a BEV version of its Transit van, set to hit the market in 2010. The Transit is slated to use next-generation lithium-ion batteries.
Following the launch of the Transit EV, Ford is expected to launch a number of other battery-powered vehicles, along with next-generation hybrid vehicles. Ford says its lithium-ion batteries will be 5 percent more efficient that its current crop of nickel-metal hydride, and will also be 30 percent cheaper to produce.
04/21, 1:59 PM
posted by:
Borat
The van in picture above comes already with diesel motor in Europe. Put more batteries and periscope and you got yourself U Boat.
04/21, 2:12 PM
posted by:
shaver
Im teaching myself to solder. Im hoping to have the 1st lithium-ion powered weed wacker done by summer. The leaf blower by thanksgiving. And the snow blower by X-mas. My team of unemployed landscapers are working around the clock.
04/21, 2:16 PM
posted by:
MercMark
Looks like a love child of a miata and a truck camper.
04/21, 2:49 PM
posted by:
johnnycanuck
Lol shaver. I’ve personally installed one of those hybrid-esque foliage displays on my beer fridge. When the fridge is full there are green leaves everywhere but every time I take out a beer a leaf falls off. It worked for a while until one night all the leaves were gone and I tried to revive it by ‘watering’ the tree.
04/21, 5:49 PM
posted by:
Borat
Johnny, you can hurt yourself by electrocution. Fridge is not a tree to whiz on! Unless you like a blue color wizard!