Ford expanding global electrified vehicle battery R&D
10 December 2015
Ford is expanding its electrified vehicles research and development program in Europe and Asia this year, creating a “hub-and-spoke” system that allows the global team to further accelerate battery technology and take advantage of market-specific opportunities.
The global expansion also allows Ford’s Electrified Powertrain Engineering teams to share common technologies and test batteries virtually, in real time, to develop new technology faster while reducing the need for costly prototypes.
| Ford electrified vehicle sales in the US |
|---|
| Ford began selling hybrid vehicles in the US in the fourth quarter of 2004 with the introduction of the Escape Hybrid. Since then, through the end of November 2015, the company has sold a total of 447,200 units of an expanded hybrid line-up that includes two plug-in hybrids: the C-MAX Energi (on-sale October 2012) and the Fusion Energi (on-sale February 2013). |
| Other current hybrids in the Ford US line-up are the Fusion Hybrid, the C-MAX Hybrid, and Lincoln MKZ. |
| Through the end of November 2015, Ford has sold a total of 26,331 units of the Fusion Energi and 24,973 units of the C-MAX Energi. |
| Ford began sales of its battery-electric Focus Electric in December 2011; since introduction, that model has sold 5,881 units. |
| Ford has not introduced a new hybrid vehicle model in the US since the Fusion Energi in February 2013, or a new electric vehicle after the Ford Focus Electric in December 2011. |
Ford—the top seller of plug-in hybrid vehicles and second largest electrified vehicle (i.e., including conventional hybrids) seller in the US—continues investing in electrified vehicle technology, research and development teams.
This year, Ford expanded its Electrified Powertrain Engineering (EPE) program in Dearborn to focus on developing new technologies for electrified vehicles by hiring more than 120 additional electrified vehicle engineers and moving the EPE team into its own dedicated facility, Ford Engineering Laboratory.
The expanded engineering capabilities enabled by the Ford Engineering Laboratory allow the team to control a network of facilities in China, England, Germany, and the US. Through this network, the EPE team will take advantage of globally connected technologies to develop lighter and more durable EV batteries.
Ford also is expanding in China and Europe to accelerate battery technology research and development for new markets. By using hardware-in-the-loop, the global team can test battery technology and control system hardware in a virtual environment to simulate how batteries and control modules would behave in different environments in any part of the world.
Testing of batteries across a range of temperatures and charge/discharge cycling conditions is important for determining how quickly a battery could degrade in different parts of the world.
The global Ford team has used temperature testing extensively for more than a decade as part of its production battery design and validation process. Through testing, Ford has been able to develop more durable batteries that can survive extreme cold and hot temperatures.
The company recently expanded its offerings in growing markets, including Taiwan and Korea, where the company offers the Mondeo Hybrid. Ford also announced it is bringing the C-MAX Energi Plug-In Hybrid and the Mondeo Hybrid to China.
In October, Ford, the University of Michigan and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation announced a new $9-million battery lab at the University of Michigan that is helping the company develop batteries that are smaller, lighter and less expensive to produce.
The small-scale manufacturing facility uses the latest battery development and research technologies to replicate the performance of full-scale production batteries, allowing for faster implementation in future production vehicles.
The Battery Lab gives us an opportunity to test hundreds of chemistries and cell designs that can then be translated into the production line. This is truly a world-class environment for Ford to develop and test industry-leading battery technology.
—Ted Miller, senior manager of energy storage strategy and Research
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