Ford Reveals Its Electrification Plans
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Ford became the latest automaker to announce a big push toward electrifying its lineup, announcing Tuesday that it would bring 13 new electrified models to market globally over the next five years.
As part of Ford’s push, the automaker says it is investing $4.5 billion on battery electric vehicle technology, according to spokesman Said Deep. The electrified models include an F-150 hybrid pickup truck, a Mustang hybrid sports car, a Transit Custom plug-in hybrid van, an autonomous vehicle hybrid, a Ford Police Responder Hybrid sedan, and a fully electric small SUV, Deep said. Ford did not respond to questions about which of those vehicles would be sold in the U.S., or when.
The automaker, which made the announcement Tuesday, said it would focus less on cars and more on SUVs, trucks, and EVs for the future.
The car company has created a group nicknamed “Team Edison,” which is being challenged “to think big and move fast to deliver vehicles and experiences that are uniquely Ford and human-centric in the design,” Deep said.
GM announced its electrification plans Monday; Volvo, Jaguar Land Rover, and Mazda said earlier this summer that they are planning all-electric lineups.
Analysts say two things are driving automakers around the world to embrace electrification. First, the cost of battery cells is falling, and second, nations are pushing for the end of internal combustion engines (ICEs), including gasoline- and diesel-powered models. China, India, and the United Kingdom, among other nations, have announced plans to ban ICEs; India says it wants to do so by 2030. Going electric would reduce dependency on fossil fuels while also cutting vehicle emissions.
In a presentation Tuesday by Ford CEO Jim Hackett, the automaker projected that by 2030 two-thirds of global vehicles will be powered by either a hybrid or battery electric powertrain, and only a third by traditional internal combustion engines.
Because these car companies are selling more models globally than they used to, the automakers are likely to bring these electrified models to the U.S. market, too, analysts say.
Don’t consider the age of the gasoline engine to be over yet, experts say. Although there is much attention on pure-electric cars coming down the road, the reality is that much of these electrification promises center around hybrid vehicles—ones that still have an engine onboard.
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