Delivering Our Electrification Plans

Electrification is a critical part of our expansion to becoming an auto and a mobility company. As electric vehicles become more cost-effective and enjoyable to drive, we have a golden opportunity to make people’s lives better by changing the way the world moves.

Our Latest Phase of Electric Vehicles

Urbanization. Congestion. The call for cleaner, more efficient vehicles. The ability to produce smaller, lighter, less expensive batteries. These are all factors that will make tomorrow’s electric vehicles more appealing to own and use than today’s gasoline-powered ones.

With almost 20 years of experience in electrification – developing vehicles that run on a battery or a combination of battery and gas, as well as the infrastructure needed to support them – we’ve already sold more than half a million electric vehicles globally, and remain focused on delivering affordable electric vehicles at scale: Full hybrids that never need plugging in. Plug-in hybrids that can run solely on electricity. And zero-emission fully electric vehicles.

And we’re only just getting started.

We’re investing $4.5 billion in electrified solutions across our vehicle lineup, including 13 new electric vehicles in the next five years. By electrifying our most popular, high-volume commercial vehicles, trucks, SUVs and performance vehicles – and introducing a dedicated full-battery electric vehicle – we are building on Ford’s areas of strength.

These launches will include:

F-150 hybrid
Mustang hybrid
Two hybrid police vehicles
Transit Custom plug-in hybrid
Fully electric small SUV (estimated range of 300+ miles)
High-volume autonomous hybrid vehicle (commercial ride-hailing or sharing)

We are investing $700 million over four years at our Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Michigan, creating a new Manufacturing Innovation Center and generating 700 jobs. These employees will build our new SUV with extended battery range and the fully autonomous vehicle for ride-hailing or ride sharing.

“Electrifying our next generation of vehicles is core to our unwavering commitment to sustainability. By being a leader in electrified vehicles, we remain committed to delivering cars, trucks and SUVs that are better not only for our customers, but for the environment and society as well.”

Joseph Hinrichs,Executive Vice President and President of Global Operations (formerly Executive Vice President and President, The Americas)

Leading the Charge on Electric Vehicles

New Technology... 20 Years in the Making

Ford has a long history of electric vehicle and battery expertise that started over 100 years ago with Henry Ford and Thomas Edison.

Currently, Ford is leveraging more than 30 years of in-house controls development, software, research and implementation, and more than a decade of on-the-road electrification experience.

One of the most recent examples of leadership in this arena is the Escape Hybrid – the first hybrid mass-produced in the U.S. and the first SUV hybrid. Many are still used as taxis today, running on the same batteries 350,000 miles later.

Building on the success of the Ford hybrid taxi, we are currently testing 20 Transit Connect hybrid taxi and van prototypes within our own fleet, putting them through their paces in cities across the United States.

“Ford’s global electric vehicle strategy is to build on our strengths. We’re focused on providing customers even more of what they love about their Ford vehicles. This means more capability for trucks, more productivity for commercial vehicles and more performance for sports cars – plus improved fuel economy.”

Raj Nair,Executive Vice President and President, North America, Ford Motor Company

Case Study

Transit Custom Put to the Test

One of our 13 new electric vehicles, the new plug-in hybrid Ford Transit Custom, is the centerpiece of a multimillion-dollar project designed to help improve air quality in London. The year-long trial will see 20 new vans join commercial fleets from selected organizations across the city. Together with our project partners, we will be trialing other Ford Smart Mobility solutions, including telematics, to optimize benefits for our customers.

Ford of Europe will launch the project in late 2017 in collaboration with Transport for London, backed by a £4.7 million grant from the U.K. Government-funded Advanced Propulsion Centre. The trial supports our commitment to help major cities around the world progress toward clean air targets and tackle local transportation challenges.

New Services and Solutions

Applying our years of electrification experience, we intend to be equally innovative in providing the services and mobility solutions that will make understanding and owning electric vehicles simpler than ever.

We already have a Memorandum of Understanding with BMW Group, Daimler AG and Volkswagen Group to create an ultra-fast charging network for fully electric vehicles. Thanks to unprecedented collaboration among automakers in Europe, the rollout of this network – which will use the Combined Charging System (CCS) that is fully compatible with most current and next-generation fully electric vehicles – is planned to start in 2017. Power levels of up to 350 kilowatts will significantly reduce charging time compared to today’s systems. While we’re initially aiming for about 400 charging sites across Europe, it’s something we’d like to expand around the world.

We are also piloting wireless charging on company vehicles in our U.S. and Europe fleet. This innovative technology makes charging an electric vehicle as simple as pulling into a parking spot. The electricity is transmitted wirelessly from the charging pad under the vehicle, almost as fast as using a cord, yet no cables are needed, so drivers needn’t worry about forgetting to recharge.

“These innovative services can be as important to customers as the electrified vehicles themselves. We are investing in solutions to help private customers, as well as commercial fleet owners, seamlessly incorporate these new vehicles and technologies into their lives.”

Hau Thai-Tang,Executive Vice President, Product Development and Purchasing, Ford Motor Company

Understanding Our Electric Vehicle Customers

Ford has studied insights from 58 million unique trips, made by 33,000 past and present Ford electric vehicle owners, to better understand how they use their vehicles.