Customers and Products > Reducing Vehicle CO₂ Emissions > 

Alternative Fuels and Powertrains

Our plan to develop sustainable technologies and alternative fuels includes researching and developing alternative powertrains and fuel options across all our vehicles, delivering on our promise to give customers the power of choice.

En Route to Lower-Carbon Fuels

As part of our strategy to support global climate stabilization goals and a more sustainable portfolio, we have developed a roadmap for migrating our vehicle technologies toward the use of lower-carbon fuel options. We offer a range of powertrain and fuel options that are designed to reduce vehicle CO₂ emissions and improve fuel efficiency.

Our plan to progress sustainable technologies and alternative fuels includes researching and developing alternative powertrains and fuel options across all our vehicles, delivering on our promise to give customers the power of choice.

Electric Vehicles

We plan to spend $11 billion by 2022 to build a model lineup of 40 hybrid vehicles, including 16 fully electric models. As well as this, we’re aiming to develop a high-performance electric utility vehicle by 2020.

Thinking Big About Electrified Vehicles

Leading in electrification, autonomy and connectivity is a vital component of our plan for the future. We have already committed a plan that includes an investment of $11 billion to put 40 hybrid and fully electric vehicles on the road by 2022. Our extended electric vehicle strategy aligns with increasing calls for cleaner, more efficient vehicles, and we remain focused on delivering affordable electric vehicles at scale.

We want to stay ahead of the curve in terms of electric innovation. Global demand for new, cleaner transportation is rising. China, India, France and the U.K. have all already announced plans to phase out vehicles powered solely by combustion engines and fossil fuels between 2030 and 2040. And we want to help them stay on track toward that goal.

In May 2018, we moved our electric vehicle and autonomous vehicle teams into a refurbished former factory in Detroit’s historic Corktown neighborhood. The new environment will accelerate our push into electrification and strengthen development of self-driving cars, while identifying and solving challenges for these vehicles in an urban environment.

We already have nearly two decades of experience in electrification – developing vehicles that run on a battery-powered electric motor or a combination of electric and gasoline powertrains, along with the supporting infrastructure. We are committed to significantly increasing investments in electric vehicles.

In March 2018, we announced an extension of our partnership with the Mahindra Group to co-develop a small electric vehicle and a number of SUVs. Using our expertise, global reach and connectivity technologies, the vehicles will build on Mahindra’s existing portfolio of commercial electric vehicles.

In China, Ford is exploring a possible joint venture with Anhui Zotye Automobile Co. to produce an electric passenger vehicle, representing our commitment to new energy vehicles in the sector’s fastest-growing market in the world.

“We’re all in on this and we’re taking our mainstream vehicles, our most iconic vehicles, and we’re electrifying them. If we want to be successful with electrification, we have to do it with vehicles that are already popular.”

Bill Ford,Chairman, Ford Motor Company

CO₂ Savings vs. Gasoline (E10) in the U.S.

At What Life Cycle Stage Are Most GHG Emissions Released?

In gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles (including hybrids)... it is during the vehicle’s use

In plug-in hybrids,⁸ battery- and hydrogen-powered vehicles... it is during production of the fuel (electricity or hydrogen)

What’s Next in Alternative Fuels and Powertrains?

Our PHEV Ford Transit Custom van is the centerpiece of a multimillion-dollar project to improve air quality in London and Valencia. A 12-month trial was launched last year in London, and the project is now being extended to the Spanish city of Valencia. Featuring a fleet of vans running solely on electric power, it will explore how PHEVs can contribute to cleaner air targets and enhanced productivity.

Ford is a founding partner – along with BMW Group, Daimler AG, and Volkswagen Group with Audi and Porsche – of IONITY, a pan-European joint venture to develop the continent’s most efficient fast-charging network for electric vehicles. Together, we plan to build 400 fast-charging stations in key European locations by 2020. Our aim is to make long-range travel easy for electric vehicles.

With respect to Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles, Ford continues to research fuel cell technology with the goal of making the technology affordable and closing technical gaps associated with durability and operation in cold climates.