Ford to invest $4.5bn in electric vehicle range

Thu 10 December 2015 View all news

Ford Motor Company has announced plans to invest $4.5 billion in electric vehicles by 2020 adding 13 new electric models to its portfolio. By 2020 it expects more than 40 percent of the company’s global nameplates will come in electrific versions. This represents Ford’s largest ­ever electric vehicle investment in a five­-year period.

The investment will include the new Focus Electric with all­-new DC fast-­charge capability, which delivers an 80 percent charge in an estimated 30 minutes and projected 100­-mile range.  

Automotive World reports that the new Focus Electric, which starts production late next year will provide European and North American customers with the following features:

  • SmartGauge with EcoGuide LCD Instrument Cluster, which offers a multitude of customisable displays that can help the driver see real-time electric vehicle power usage to help maximise vehicle efficiency
  • Brake Coach: helps the driver apply smooth braking to maximise the energy captured through the regenerative braking system, which is then returned to the vehicle’s battery
  • Agile steering and handling engineered into the vehicle to give drivers a more connected feel to the road

“The challenge going forward isn’t who provides the most technology in a vehicle, but who best organises that technology in a way that most excites and delights people,” said Raj Nair, executive vice president of product development and chief technical officer at Ford Motor Company.

The move comes as other auto makers including BMW and Porsche have committed to offering a wider range of electric vehicles. Porsche has initiated a project called 'Mission E', with the aim of launching a new EV by the end of the decade. The Mission E concept, which debuted at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September, is a four-door car with a system power output of 600 hp (440 kW). "With Mission E, we are making a clear statement about the future of the brand,” said Dr. Wolfgang Porsche, Chairman of the Supervisory Board. 

In an interview with Handlesblatt BMW's Chief Executive Harald Krüger has said BMW’s focus will increasingly shift to electric cars in response, in part, to the likely tightening of emissions limits for diesel, with 8 out of 10 cars BMW sells in Europe diesel-powered, the highest of any automaker in Europe. The OEM plans to introduce a roll-top version of its range extended i8, release an improved version of the i3 and supply a new electric vehicle. 

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