By James R. Healey, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Ford Motor (F) says it will have plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in showrooms in 2012, promising 30 miles on battery power before the gasoline engine kicks in.
Ford plans to underscore that promise with an announcement here today that it has contracted for lithium-ion battery cells with Johnson Controls-Saft, a U.S.-French joint venture that manufactures the batteries in France.

Ford's buying enough cells for 5,000 plug-in vehicles a year and will assemble them into auto battery packs in North America, says Nancy Gioia, Ford's hybrid chief, but she wouldn't specify where. Nor would she say what the plug-in vehicle would be.

Ford is demonstrating the technology in a 2009 Escape SUV.

Ford becomes the latest automaker to set a public deadline for offering the fuel-saving vehicles, known as PHEVs.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/...n-hybrid_N.htm

 

This is the link to the Johnson Controls Saft on-line media release: http://www.johnsoncontrols.com/publish/us/en/news.html

The end of this media release indicates a five year agreement to supply 5,000 units per year with the ability to ramp up production capacity.

This is Mary Ann Wright via 2007:


She is a former Ford Executive that was brought in to bring the Ford Escape Hybrid to the market "on-time". She left Ford in 2005 and eventually ended up at Johnson Controls Saft which has a lithium-ion battery plant in production in France.

 

If it's a FEPHEV, I guess I'll have to buy one in 2012 then.

 

Ford recently announced (http://www.ford.com/about-ford/news-...-utility-29804 ) an agreement with seven power and one research company to further field test the Escape PHEV.

Note these vehicles are flex-fuel capable (http://gas2.org/2008/06/13/prototype...on-85-ethanol/) .

 

woohoo!

 

Anyone have information on what changes may be made on the 2010 Escape Hybrid? Will it get some of the new features of the Fusion Hybrid?

 

I get google alerts on the FEH by e-mail and nothing yet from Ford. However, since Ford is trying to cut cost and improve mileage, I would bet they are making the changes. Eliminating the battery A/C and cooling from the cabin means Ford needs to change to the new battery pack design. Question is, will the Pack stay at 330V or drop to the 275V like the Fusion? And, would the 275V battery decrease the FE of the FEH?

The '09 FEH/MMH already has some of the improvement that will be in the '10 FFH but Ford has been silent on those issues. Desertdog (Carl) confirmed the '09 FEH has the new Lambda Heated 02 sensors with my SGII feedback. The new braking system on my '09 seems to produce more regen than my '05 FEH and is much more sensitive. The '09 FEH also has the faster EV mode and will hold a solid 40mph speed in CC. Ford also has not confirmed that the '09 FEH has the newer Variable Voltage Converter, but my '09 battery handeled the August heat better than my '05 FEH.

There are far better hypermilers than myself, but right now my lifetime average on my '09 FEH is over 144% of EPA and growing fast. In the hybrid class this puts the '09 FWD FEHL in with the top 10 Prius and HCH hypermilers tracking LMPG at CleanMPG.com . Ford has done a great job on the '09 FEH because no hybrid has got this high of LMPG percentage on E10. Lets just hope Ford continues to improve the FEH/MMH in the '10 FEH.

GaryG

 

Guess Ford wasn't able to pull through, huh?