• News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
  • News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
Sign up Now (For Free)

Sign up for our newsletter and receive the latest automotive news in your inbox!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!
News
Read Now
  • All News
  • Automakers
  • Automobiles
  • Auto Shows
  • Business
  • EVs & Environment
  • Guides
  • Lawsuits/Legal
  • Regulatory
  • Ride-Sharing
  • Safety & Recalls
  • Technology
Recent
  • The Rearview Mirror: All That the Name Implies
  • Top Tips for Improving EV Range in Cold Weather
  • Mercedes is First Automaker to Offer True Level 3 Hands-Free Driving System in the U.S.
  • Audi Introduces Fourth “Sphere” Concept: Activesphere
  • Jaguar Land Rover Posts First Profitable Quarter in Two Years
  • Musk Confirms Cybertruck Production Tracking for End of 2023
  • Polestar Raises its Game with the 2024 Polestar 2
  • Toyota CEO Akio Toyoda Steps Down, Hands Reins to Lexus Chief Koji Sato
  • Environmental Groups Chide GM for ICE Investments
  • Tesla Sets New Financial Benchmarks, But Misses Analysts Targets
Editor’s Choice
    Reviews
    Read Now
    • All Reviews
      • Feeder
    • Classic Cars
    • Concept Cars
    • Convertibles
    • Coupes
    • Crossovers/CUVs
    • Diesel
    • Hot hatches
    • Hybrids
    • Luxury Vehicles
    • Minivans
    • Muscle Cars
    • Pickups
    • Sedans
    • Sports Cars
    • Super Cars
    • SUVs
    Recent Reviews
    • A Week With: 2023 Ford F-150 Raptor R 4x4 Super Crew
    • A Week With: 2023 Genesis Electrified G80 AWD
    • A Week With: 2023 Land Rover Defender 110 V-8
    • First Drive: 2023 Honda Pilot TrailSport
    • A Week With: 2023 Jaguar F-Type R Coupe
    • A Week With: 2023 GMC Yukon Denali Ultimate
    • A Week With: 2023 Genesis GV60 Performance
    • A Week With: 2023 Chevrolet Suburban Z71
    • A Week With: 2023 Lexus UX 250h F Sport
    • A Week With: 2023 Mercedes-Benz EQB 300 4Matic
    Editor’s Choice
      Guides
      Car Warranty
      • Endurance Warranty Reviews
      • BMW Extended Warranty
      • Extended Warranty For Cars Over 100k Miles
      • Extended Car Warranty Cost
      • Subaru Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Reviews
      • CarShield Cost
      • Aftermarket Car Warranty
      • CARCHEX Warranty Reviews
      • Reputable Extended Car Warranty Companies
      • Used Car Warranty Companies
      • Best Car Warranty
      • Is CarShield A Scam?
      • Mercedes Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Plans
      Insurance
      • How To Identify A Car Insurance Company
      • Geico Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • How Far Back Does A Car Insurance Company Look
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance For Used Cars
      • State Farm Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance From Progressive
      • Dollar A Day Insurance
      • Auto Insurance For SSI Recipients
      • Car Insurance Rates After A Suspended License
      • Auto Insurance For Salvage Vehicles
      • Average Cost of Dodge Ram 1500 Car Insurance
      • Car Insurance Florida
      • Full Coverage Auto Insurance
      • GrubHub Insurance
      • Amazon Delivery Auto Insurance
      Shipping
      • Car Shipping Companies
      • uShip Reviews
      • Auto Shipping From California To Hawaii
      • Montway Auto Transport Reviews
      • Cheap Car Shipping
      • Easy Auto Ship Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Miami
      • Auto Shipping To Alaska
      • Car Shipping Cost
      • Auto Shipping Hawaii
      • Auto Shipping Puerto Rico
      • Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Atlanta
      • Auto Shipping Boston
      • Auto Shipping. Chicago
      About
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Sitemap
      TheDetroitBureau.com

      More than just “another” place to find news, reviews, spy shots, commentary, features, and guides about the auto industry. TheDetroitBureau doesn’t stop with the press releases or confuse a few lines of opinion with insightful, in-depth reporting.

      Contact Us

      Like what you see? Have some ideas for making The Detroit Bureau.com even better? Let us know, we’d love to hear your voice.

        Media
        Listen Now
        • Headlight News: All Episodes
        More from TheDetroitBureau
        • Guides
        • Latest News
        • Auto Reviews
        • Podcasts
        Headlight News

        TheDetroitBureau.com’s Headlight News offers a look at the past week’s top automotive news stories, as well as what’s coming up in the week ahead. Check out the week’s top story and our latest review…along with a dive into the past with this week in automotive history.

        home > news > Automobiles > Ford to Invest $4.5 Bil in New Electrified Products

        Ford to Invest $4.5 Bil in New Electrified Products

        By 2020, 40% of its nameplates will be offered with battery-based options.

        Paul A. Eisenstein
        Paul A. Eisenstein , Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
        Dec. 10, 2015
        "More than 40% of our nameplates will be electrified," announced Ford CEO Mark Fields.

        Ford Motor plans to invest $4.5 billion to add an array of new hybrids, plug-ins and battery-electric vehicles to its line-up by the end of the decade, CEO Mark Fields announced on Thursday.

        The maker plans not only to add more battery-based vehicles but also to expand where it will offer those models, with two new produced, the plug-in C-Max Energi and the Mondeo Hybrid, entering the Chinese market in the coming months.

        Plug In!

        By the end of the decade, said Fields, “More than 40% of our nameplates will be electrified,” up from 13% today, and the list will include “a full range” of the maker’s products, not just a limited selection like today. Where there are six battery-based products today, Ford will add 13 more by 2020.

        Ford officials declined to go into specific details about which current models will offer battery options, and what sort of new products might be in the works, but they made it clear they don’t plan to leave opportunities to the competition. Among the likely targets will be upcoming, long-range battery-electric vehicles such as the Chevrolet Bolt and Tesla Model III.

        “We fully anticipate we’ll be introducing vehicles with competitive range in both fully electric and plug-in hybrid forms,” said Raj Nair, Ford chief technology officer and head of its product development operations.

        Ford will update the Focus Electric for 2016, adding more range and fast-charge capability.

        So-called “range anxiety” is considered one of the key obstacles to wider acceptance of battery-based products, especially pure battery-electric vehicles like the Ford Focus Electric. The maker plans to boost that model’s range to more than 100 miles when it is updated next year, the current model limited to 76 miles.

        “Making this improvement is important,” said Stephanie Brinley, an auto analyst with IHS Automotive, but “200 miles appears to be the real breakthrough in terms of consumer acceptance.”

        Brinley also said that consumers appear to want their battery-based models to charge more quickly. While many motorists leave their vehicles plugged in overnight, they don’t want to have to wait for hours on end if they need to travel during the daytime for an extended distance. Ford plans to address that problem by also adding a DC quick-charge feature to the updated Focus Electric – which will permit an 80% recharge in 30 minutes.

        Cost is another issue that industry planners see as a critical challenge to more widespread acceptance of battery power. Manufacturers like Ford have cut the cost of models like the Focus Electric, Chevrolet Volt plug-in and pure battery-electric Nissan Leaf in recent years, but even sharper cuts could follow.

        (Chevrolet Volt named Green Car of the Year. Click Here for the story.)

        At the beginning of the decade, as the first mass market plug-ins and BEVs came to market, manufacturers were spending as much as $1,000 a kilowatt-hour for lithium-ion batteries. That is believed to be down to around $400 for most makers. But prices are falling rapidly.

        GM product chief Mark Reuss recently told TheDetroitBureau.com that the maker expects to pay $150 for the basic cells in the Chevy Bolt battery pack, and Volkswagen officials said they anticipate a similar price tag for their BEV sport-ute coming in 2018.

        Kevin Layden, who oversees powertrain electrification at Ford, said battery costs are “falling faster” than many had expected. And while CTO Nair declined to set a specific target price for Ford, he said “We’re very confident we’ll be competitive on the cost” with key competitors like GM and VW.

        Not only are manufacturers increasing range and lowering the cost of battery-based models, but they are also improving performance. Early electrified vehicles could barely muster 0 to 60 times of 10 seconds. Porsche anticipates it will deliver a launch time of barely 3 seconds with the Mission E sports car it announced this week – even with a range of over 300 miles per charge.

        “There is an opportunity for performance” in future Ford electrified products, hinted Nair. Indeed, several well-placed sources have suggested the maker is considering a hybrid option for the venerable Mustang in the near future.

        (Click Here to check out Porsche’s new Mission E battery sports car.)

        Ford’s electrification news might seem ill-timed to some observers, considering the sharp downturn in gasoline prices and the possibility of an even sharper plunge in the near future. That is one reason why demand for the maker’s current battery models has fallen by roughly 25% so far this year.

        Company officials admitted they need to do a better job convincing consumers of the advantages of electric propulsion, but improvements in the technology should also enhance its appeal.

        The reality is that Ford, like its competitors, may have no choice but to keep expanding its electric line-up. It has to cope not only with tougher European CO2 rules and U.S. mileage standards, but also the zero-emissions vehicle mandate in California. A maker that falls short could be banned from that huge market.

        Nonetheless, Nair said Ford is confident buyers will be drawn to newer battery models and that Ford will be able to recoup the hefty investment it announced on Thursday. “That’s our intention,” to deliver a similar return on investment to what it is spending on more conventional products.

        ($20 a barrel oil? Fuel prices could plunge even further. Click Here for that breaking news.

        How to Care for Your Car

        Cheap Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice

        Best Extended Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice
        Recently Published

        The Rearview Mirror: All That the Name Implies

        Yesterday
        GMC Hummer SUT winter testing

        Top Tips for Improving EV Range in Cold Weather

        Jan. 27, 2023
        Mercedes Drive Pilot Nevada driving

        Mercedes is First Automaker to Offer True Level 3 Hands-Free Driving System in the U.S.

        Jan. 27, 2023

        Leave a Reply Cancel reply

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

        Share this article:
        © The Detroit Bureau 2023
        • Guides
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Affiliate Disclosure
        • Contact Us
        • Sitemap
        Follow Us: