Ford Focus BEV prototype
Ford is at the forefront of the alternative power push, having been one of the first on the market with a hybrid vehicle and now less than a year away from launching its first all-electric model. However, we are still at the start of the alternative power revolution but in as little as a decade we could being seeing as much as 25 percent of new car sales either be for a hybrid, plug-in hybrid or electric vehicle.
That’s the claim of Ford’s global chief of vehicle electrification Nancy Gioia. Speaking with Automotive News, Gioia said that the final figure could be anywhere between 10 and 25 percent by 2020 but it will likely be closer to the latter.
The key, she explained, is the price of batteries, which will inevitably fall as technology and production advances. A Ford Fusion Hybrid now costs about $3,500 more than the equivalent standard Fusion but by 2020 the difference could be insignificant.
Ford will spend about $1 billion through 2013 on vehicle electrification and in the next three years plans to launch at least five new models featuring a lithium-ion battery. These will include the all-electric Transit Connect commercial vehicle and Focus compact.
Currently, about 2 percent of Ford’s lineup has some form of electrified powertrain.
[Automotive News, sub req’d]
