The two companies are teaming up to implement the Microsoft Hohm™ energy management application for Ford’s electric vehicles. Ford is the first automaker announcing [...]]]> Ford Motor Company and Microsoft Corp. are leading the way toward a more energy-efficient future by announcing a new solution that will make electric vehicle ownership easier and more affordable for consumers.

The two companies are teaming up to implement the Microsoft Hohm™ energy management application for Ford’s electric vehicles. Ford is the first automaker announcing the use of Hohm, starting with the Focus Electric next year. Hohm will help owners determine when and how to most efficiently and affordably recharge battery electric (BEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicles. It also should help utility companies manage the added demands of electric vehicles on the electric grid.

“Ford and Microsoft both share a strong commitment to contributing to a better world. Today, we begin the next major step in our working together and leading the way for energy efficiency and environmental sustainability,” said Alan Mulally, Ford Motor Company president and CEO. “For Ford, this is a needed step in the development of the infrastructure that will make electric vehicles viable.”

Both companies agree that effective management of the energy ecosystem is critical for electric vehicles to be successful and for consumer interest to grow. In a recent Accenture survey, 42 percent of consumers said they are likely to buy a hybrid or electric vehicle in the next two years.

Increasing numbers of electric vehicles, however, will have a significant impact on energy demand. That is because the addition of an electric vehicle to a household could effectively double home energy consumption while the vehicle is charging.

Ford and Microsoft agree that making energy management easy and affordable for consumers will be key to the success of electric vehicles in the marketplace as well as in creating a positive environmental impact.

“Electric vehicles will play an important role in the global effort to improve energy efficiency and address the issues of climate change and sustainability,” said Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO. “But as the market for electric vehicles expands, it will have a significant impact on home energy consumption and demand across the nation’s energy grid. With Microsoft Hohm, Ford and Microsoft will deliver a solution that will make it easier for car owners to make smart decisions about the most affordable and efficient ways to recharge electric vehicles, while giving utilities better tools for managing the expected changes in energy demand.”

Introducing Hohm to Ford’s electric vehicles supports Ford’s aggressive global electrification plan, which will put five new electrified vehicles on the road in North America and Europe by 2013. In North America, they include the Transit Connect Electric later this year, Focus Electric in 2011, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle and two next-generation hybrids in 2012.

America’s largest domestic hybrid seller, Ford Motor Company today has four hybrids on the road and another coming this year. They include the Ford Fusion Hybrid, Ford Escape Hybrid, Mercury Milan Hybrid and Mercury Mariner Hybrid. Also coming this fall is the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid, which is expected to be the most fuel-efficient luxury sedan in America.

Life with electrified vehicles – with full battery electric (BEV) and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) vehicles needing to be recharged daily – will require consumers to change how they think about personal transportation and energy use.

Hohm, an Internet-based service, is designed to help customers avoid unnecessary expense by providing insight into their energy usage patterns and suggesting recommendations to increase conservation. With Ford electric vehicles, Hohm also will help drivers to determine the best time to charge their vehicle. Smart recharging habits will help utility companies understand and better manage the increased demands placed upon the electric grid because of electrified vehicles.

Ford and Microsoft’s participation in the Hohm program builds on the success of their decade-long partnership to provide customers with superior in-car experiences. The Ford SYNC® communications and infotainment system, built on the Windows Embedded Automotive platform, has been installed on more than 2 million Ford, Lincoln and Mercury vehicles since its launch in 2007, helping drivers connect and voice-control their mobile devices while driving.

Microsoft Hohm is available today for free to all U.S. residential energy consumers and has multiple partnerships with utilities and other stakeholders already in place. Ford is the first automaker to join in collaboration with Hohm.

Ford and Microsoft also plan to continue to work with utility partners and municipalities to help further develop the energy ecosystem. Ford’s work includes collaboration with a dozen North American energy companies to road-test a fleet of 21 Ford Escape plug-in hybrid vehicles. The research has accumulated more than 160,000 miles of real-world data, which provided important groundwork for the new Hohm application.

“Rechargeable vehicles represent a new frontier. Their commercialization will take broad-based collaboration and systems solutions,” said Mulally. “Working together, Ford and Microsoft will provide the systems solutions to help facilitate this exciting future.”

Specifically, Ford will launch two zero-emission full battery-electric vehicles including the Transit Connect Electric light commercial vehicle in 2011 followed [...]]]> Ford Motor Company has announced that its global electric vehicles plan is extending to Europe with five full electric or hybrid vehicles across its C, CD and light commercial vehicle ranges coming for European customers by 2013.

Specifically, Ford will launch two zero-emission full battery-electric vehicles including the Transit Connect Electric light commercial vehicle in 2011 followed by the Ford Focus Electric in 2012. Three other vehicles – two next-generation petrol hybrid-electric vehicles and a plug-in hybrid – will be introduced in 2013. Ford’s global electrification strategy will deliver a suite of electrified vehicles to a variety of markets and build on the company’s overall vision of offering the widest possible range of technology solutions – instead of a single vehicle or technology – to improve fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions for customers around the world.

“We recognise that one technology does not work for all our customers,” said Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s group vice president of Global Product Development. “Our electrification strategy and plans include hybrids, plug-in hybrids and battery electric vehicles to best meet our global customers’ needs. Leveraging our global platforms is also central to this strategy and allows us to build on our strong product line-up in the most customer-driven, affordable way.”

As Ford’s global product vision accelerates to ensure that all the company’s vehicles competing in global segments become common in Europe, North America and Asia, the resulting efficiencies will allow a global portfolio of environmentally friendly transportation solutions to be developed based around hybrid electric, plug-in hybrid electric and all-electric vehicles.

“Our goal is to provide consumers with access to significant fuel economy improvements and reduced CO2 emissions to meet their functional needs and without compromising their driving experience,” said John Fleming, Chairman and CEO, Ford of Europe.

“There is increasing interest among a number of customers in Europe for electrified vehicles and we are responding by stepping up our efforts to bring these models to the marketplace alongside our latest-generation, fuel-efficient petrol and diesel powered models,” Fleming added. “This is further evidence of how the ONE Ford global product vision is transforming our business. European consumers will not have to wait too long before they can choose from a range of electrified alternatives from Ford.”

Zero-Emission

The first models to be launched in Europe will be zero-emission, full-electric versions of two significant models in Ford’s global product portfolio.

The Focus Electric will be based on Ford’s next-generation Focus model and is one of at least ten vehicles that will be developed from the company’s new global C-car platform. Focus Electric will be introduced in the US and Canada in 2011, followed by Europe in 2012.

The Ford Transit Connect Electric is a zero-emission, pure electric-powered version of the award-winning Transit Connect light commercial vehicle and goes on sale in North America later this year. Ford is aiming to make the Transit Connect Electric available for European customers from 2011.

Future Hybrids

While Ford has considerable experience in the North American market with full petrol-hybrid vehicles, the company also is planning to expand its presence in Europe with two all-new, next-generation hybrid passenger cars based on global platforms following in 2013.

In addition, European customers will be able to opt for a plug-in hybrid model, also coming in 2013. “Thanks to the global economies of scale afforded to us by our ONE Ford initiative, I am delighted we are able to make the commitment now to deliver these models to customers in Europe, particularly as the demand for hybrid vehicles grows,” added John Fleming.

Further details of Ford’s hybrid and plug-in hybrid models will be revealed closer to launch.

Prototype Trials in Europe

Ford’s Product Development team is participating in two specific European trial initiatives to demonstrate the technology in real world driving conditions, and generate feedback to help develop further the Focus Electric and the Transit Connect Electric for market acceptance in Europe.

In the UK, a consortium of Ford, Scottish and Southern Energy (SSE) and Strathclyde University is preparing later this year to run a fleet of zero emissions prototype Ford Focus Battery Electric Vehicle prototypes, based around the current Focus model sold in Europe and using elements of the technology under development for the new Focus Electric. The vehicles will be used for evaluation by both SSE and a number of fleet and private customers based in Hillingdon, Middlesex from mid-2010.

This new UK-based BEV demonstration fleet is being created partly with public funding from the UK Government’s Technology Strategy Board (TSB), which promotes innovative industry-led projects that reduce CO2. The BEV research programme aims to test the technology’s suitability and to gain greater insight into customer charging behaviour.

In Germany, Ford has recently announced its participation in the colognE-mobil project. This initiative will research the impact of electric vehicles on urban air quality, traffic safety and the electricity supply infrastructure. Scientists will then scale up the results to examine the true benefits an electric future could deliver for German cities.

Ford is one of four partners in the colognE-mobil project and will provide an early fleet of next-generation Focus Electric vehicles in late 2011.

The other partners are utility company RheinEnergie AG, the City of Cologne and the University of Duisburg-Essen. The colognE-mobil project is partly funded by the German Government and coordinated by the federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

“These initiatives are a revolution for both the utility and automotive industries,” Fleming said. “Collaborating across sectors is essential to ensure customer focused products that provide the right value along with the readiness of the infrastructure. We need to work and learn together and Ford is very pleased to be a part of these important trials.”

Ford credits its recent gains in fuel economy [...]]]> Ford Motor Company has improved in fuel economy more than any other major automaker since 2004, according to a recent report by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA rated Ford’s combined car and truck fuel economy improvement at nearly 20 percent, almost double the next closest competitor.

Ford credits its recent gains in fuel economy in part to its introduction of the Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner hybrids and numerous incremental aerodynamic, mechanical, energy management and weight-saving improvements across its vehicle lineup. Going forward, it expects the 2009 introduction of the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan hybrids and its fuel-efficient EcoBoost engines to further improve its fleet-wide fuel economy.

Dramatic fuel efficiency improvement is evident throughout Ford’s vehicle lineup – from cars and crossovers to sport utilities and trucks. Depending on powertrain specifications, the 2010 Fusion, Fusion Hybrid, Escape Hybrid, Taurus SHO, Flex, F-Series and Transit Connect offer best-in-class or unsurpassed fuel economy. The same can be said of the 2010 Lincoln MKS and MKT and Navigator, Mercury Milan Hybrid and Mariner Hybrid.

Ford expects to see its overall fuel economy continue to rise in 2010 with the introduction of the 2011 Ford Fiesta and redesigned 2011 Ford Focus – both high-mileage small cars.

Sue Cischke, group vice president, Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering said;

“2009 has been a breakthrough year for Ford, leading with the launch of EcoBoost and the introduction of new products that will result in further improvement in 2010.  Our commitment to delivering affordable, fuel-efficient vehicles for millions has never been stronger or better demonstrated.”

Not only is the improved fuel efficiency good for customers’ wallets, it benefits the environment as well. As a result of the boost, Ford lowered its tailpipe CO2 emissions more than any other automaker with a fleet-wide average of 434 grams per mile – 37 grams lower than its 2007 total and 25 grams lower than 2008.

A powerful difference maker

The fuel efficiency of the 2010 Ford Fusion improved 21 percent over the 2009 model, jumping from 28 mpg to 34 mpg in highway driving, and leap-frogging the competition. Powertrain improvements were a big difference maker. Fusion and other new models benefit from the introduction of Ford’s new six-speed transmission, which offers a wider gear span than four-speed transmissions.

The six-speed allowed Ford’s engineers the flexibility to tune the powertrain for greater responsiveness in low gears and better fuel economy in the taller gears. The new double-overdrive gearbox is designed to contribute up to 4 percent fuel economy improvement. Ford has committed that almost 100 percent of its transmissions will be advanced six-speed gearboxes by 2013.

Ford’s EcoBoost

This year, Ford introduced its new line of powerful, fuel-efficient EcoBoost engines, available in the Ford Taurus, Ford Flex, Lincoln MKS and Lincoln MKT. Recently honored with a Popular Mechanics’ Breakthrough Award, EcoBoost uses gasoline turbocharged direct-injection technology for up to 20 percent better fuel economy, 15 percent fewer CO2 emissions and superior driving performance versus larger-displacement engines.

On average, nearly one in five buyers of the Taurus, Flex, Lincoln MKS and MKT have opted for EcoBoost since the engine lineup’s introduction in August. By 2013, Ford will offer EcoBoost engines in 90 percent of its product lineup with annual volume of vehicles with EcoBoost at 1.3 million globally.

Barb Samardzich, vice president, Ford Global Powertrain Engineering said;

“We are committed to delivering new products with the best fuel economy in every segment in which we compete – driven in large part by substantial advancements in powertrain technology. We are focusing on sustainable technology solutions that can be used not for hundreds or thousands of cars, but for millions of cars, because that is how Ford truly will make a difference.”

It’s all about incremental improvements

The fact that the 2010 Ford Taurus and 2009 Ford F-150 are up to 12 and 17 percent respectively better on fuel economy than their 2004 predecessors isn’t due to one “silver bullet” solution but a host of vehicle enhancements, including aerodynamic refinements, weight efficiency and mechanical improvements.

Nancy Gioia, Ford director of Global Electrification added;

“Next-generation hybrids, plug-in hybrids and pure battery-powered vehicles are the logical next steps in our pursuit of greater fuel economy and sustainability. A growing number of consumers want that kind of choice, and we want to be in a position to deliver it to them across multiple vehicle categories.”

The fuel economy and durability of hybrid versions of Ford Fusion and Escape, Mercury Milan and Mariner also are winning over large numbers of conquest customers, many of whom are previous [...]]]> Ford Motor Company’s hybrid vehicle sales have risen 73 percent this year in sharp contrast to a 14-percent decline in hybrid sales across the industry.

The fuel economy and durability of hybrid versions of Ford Fusion and Escape, Mercury Milan and Mariner also are winning over large numbers of conquest customers, many of whom are previous import owners. Through September, Ford has sold 26,016 hybrid vehicles, up 73 percent versus the same period in 2008, according to figures from Autodata Inc.

“Hybrid customers increasingly are considering Ford,” said David Finnegan, Ford hybrid marketing manager. “More than 60 percent of Fusion Hybrid sales have been from non-Ford owners, and more than half of those are customers coming from import brands, mostly from Toyota and Honda.”

Ford’s strong 2009 hybrid sales have been fueled by the introduction of the Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan hybrids, the most fuel-efficient midsize sedans on the road. Both vehicles deliver a certified 41 mpg rating in the city and 36 mpg on the highway, topping the Toyota Camry hybrid by 8 mpg in the city and 2 mpg on the highway.

Durable and fuel efficient

While the introduction of the Fusion Hybrid has spurred sales from non-Ford owners, Ford’s longest-running hybrid nameplate, the Escape Hybrid, has proven particularly popular with Ford customers operating taxi, lifeguard and government fleets due to the combination of fuel efficiency and durability. The front-wheel-drive Escape Hybrid delivers 34 mpg in city driving and 30 mpg on the highway, making the most fuel-efficient SUV on the market.

In 2005, San Francisco became one of the first cities to adopt hybrids into taxi service, with hybrids accounting for 14 percent of its current fleet. Each of the original fleet of 15 Escape Hybrids exceeded 300,000 miles per vehicle before being retired and replaced with more Escape Hybrids. There are almost 200 Escape Hybrid taxis on San Francisco’s streets today.

New York has more hybrid taxis in service than any other city in North America with 13,237, of which more than 2,000 are Escape Hybrids. The Big Apple recently has begun retiring its original fleet of Escape Hybrids put into service in the 2005 model year after accumulating 300,000 and 350,000 miles per vehicle.

“We’re extremely pleased with the performance of the Escape Hybrid in taxi service,” said Gerry Koss, Ford’s fleet marketing manager. “Not only have they proven very reliable, they’ve also saved taxi drivers money on gas and contributed to lower tailpipe and greenhouse gas emissions in the cities that use them in taxi fleets.”

“Greening” the federal government fleet

Government fleets also are seeking cleaner, more fuel-efficient vehicles and hybrids are filling that need. In 2009, federal agencies have purchased more than 3,000 hybrids from Ford, more than any other automotive brand. Included in the sales were 1,900 vehicles acquired through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act for the purpose of improving the fuel economy of the federal fleet. The U.S. Army was the single largest purchaser among the government fleets, acquiring 400 Fusion hybrids.

Saving lives and conserving fuel

In 2008, Ford began delivery of a fleet of 45 Escape Hybrids to the Los Angeles County Lifeguards, a division of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, for use on rescue patrol along 72 miles of Southern California coastline. After the first 11 months of service, lifeguards reported that Escape Hybrids had played a crucial part in thousands of rescues and more than a million rescue preventions at L.A. County beaches.

The Escape Hybrid fleet enabled L.A. lifeguards to reduce their entire fleet’s fuel usage by 25 percent – more than 5,000 gallons of gas – during the first six months of service. That fuel cost savings has helped L.A. County to maintain its critical front line staffing despite the economic downturn