Ford chairman Bill Ford wrote in an article for Fortune magazine that about 25 percent of the company's fleet will be electrified by 2020, although he cautioned that ''even with this approximation it's really hard to predict''.
''I'm not sure which electric technology -- hybrids, plug-in hybrids, or pure electrics -- will win'', he wrote. ''If you're an urban dweller and don't need to drive long distances, then the all-electric option is ideal. However, I think in the short term conventional hybrids and plug-in hybrids [...] will be more popular than the all-electric cars because they relieve range anxiety.''
With that in mind, Ford is hedging its bets by investing heavily in all these technologies.
Advanced lithium-ion batteries are the key to success for electric cars. In fact, the chairman believes ''it's a matter of national security to have a competitive American battery industry. Washington should increase R&D spending here unless they want to cede the development of batteries to other nations", adding that Asia currently has the lead.
Source : Fortune via Automotive News
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| Photo: Ford |
''I'm not sure which electric technology -- hybrids, plug-in hybrids, or pure electrics -- will win'', he wrote. ''If you're an urban dweller and don't need to drive long distances, then the all-electric option is ideal. However, I think in the short term conventional hybrids and plug-in hybrids [...] will be more popular than the all-electric cars because they relieve range anxiety.''
With that in mind, Ford is hedging its bets by investing heavily in all these technologies.
Advanced lithium-ion batteries are the key to success for electric cars. In fact, the chairman believes ''it's a matter of national security to have a competitive American battery industry. Washington should increase R&D spending here unless they want to cede the development of batteries to other nations", adding that Asia currently has the lead.
Source : Fortune via Automotive News