General Electric (GE) plans to purchase 2,000 Ford C-MAX Energi PHEVs for its corporate fleet – Ford’s largest fleet sale of a plug-in model to date. The addition of the Fords means that GE now owns over 5,000 “alternative fuel” vehicles – its goal is to convert half its fleet. GE VP Mark Vachon says, “At GE, we are focused on providing our customers and our fleet with more economically and environmentally efficient vehicles. The Ford C-MAX Energi is a great addition to our expanding fleet of alternative fuel vehicles.”

Ford and GE also announced cooperation on a couple of other fronts. The two companies plan to work with researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology to study GE employee driving and charging habits, using the MyFord Mobile app. “Understanding driving and charging habits is key to advancing vehicle and charging infrastructure,” says Georgia Tech Professor Bert Bras. “Through access to vehicle data, we can accelerate research and development of new technologies to further improve efficiency, driver satisfaction and environmental benefits.”

Ford will be promoting GE’s WattStation charging station with its commercial customers, and GE will be using several of Ford’s plug-in vehicles at the headquarters of its fleet management business, where GE’s commercial customers can test-drive alternative fuel cars and trucks from a variety of manufacturers.

“Ford is launching six new electrified vehicles – a big bet that fuel prices will continue rising and lead to more demand for advanced fuel-efficient vehicles,” says Ford VP Ken Czubay. “We are pleased to partner with GE, a company that is charting a similar course, to promote advanced technology and energy savings.”

Source: Ford