Today at the Detroit auto show, Ford announced plans for an array of products featuring new technology, including a plug-in hybrid. Most surprising, though, were its plans for an all-electric vehicle to go on sale in 2011.
While we've taken similar plans from Chrysler with a healthy dose of skepticism, the plans Ford unveiled today include a partnership with a major supplier – Magna – and what appear to be lots of specific details about the vehicle itself. Ford says it will have a range of 100 miles on a full charge. Ford is using a Focus as the test car, and the large battery pack that's taking up the entire floor of its trunk would have to be redesigned for a viable production car. Check out the photo below.
Other news involves an electric commercial vehicle to go on sale in 2010 that will be based on the Ford Transit small van. Ford says it will roll out its plug-in hybrid in 2012. The company says its test fleet of plug-in Ford Escape Hybrids – check out coverage of it from last year’s show -- is returning 120 mpg, but the EPA hasn’t decided how it will rate plug-ins when they go on sale. Those cars travel 30 miles on a full charge before the hybrid engine kicks in.