Many EVangelists believe that the plodding progress of plug-in sales has a lot to do with the automakers’ minimal marketing efforts. So it’s welcome news that Ford has launched a new ad campaign for its Focus Electric. It seems to be a substantial buy (although Ford declined to talk about budgets), with TV ads running… Read more »
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Multi-modal urban mobility with Ford’s MoDe e-Bikes
Is it strange for an automaker to invest in developing an e-bike? Not necessarily, considering that, in the future, more and more of the world’s people will be living in dense megacities, where a car is not the best way to get around, at least not for a whole journey. An urban trip from home… Read more »
Further With Ford: e-bikes and electric car sharing, but no news on a 200-mile EV
The annual Further With Ford conference is all about what the company is doing to stay relevant in a changing world. In this year’s keynote speech, CEO Mark Fields talked about what the company sees as some of today’s most important trends, and how they inspired several research projects that have now graduated to pilot… Read more »
California helps low-income families afford greener cars
The California Air Resources Board thinks of everything. It not only provides funding for local companies to research EV technology, and requires automakers to produce zero-emission vehicles for sale in the state. Now the agency has launched a pilot program to help low-income people replace old, polluting cars with newer, more efficient vehicles, including EVs…. Read more »
Ford opens up its EV patents, puts 200 more engineers to work on electrification
Tesla isn’t the only company that can play the patent-opening game. Ford has announced that it will make its portfolio of over 650 electrification-related patents available to competing automakers. Unlike Tesla, which has implied that it will allow others to use technology “in good faith” free of charge (and Toyota, which plans to make some… Read more »
Stanford team improves potential of solid-state electrolytes by enhancing ionic conductivity
Solid-state electrolytes’ potential advantages in energy density and safety compared with conventional liquid electrolytes have made them the hottest topic in the battery world. However, there are several challenges to be overcome, including the low mobility of lithium ions in solid electrolytes. Now, a team of Stanford researchers have used ceramic nanowire fillers to enhance… Read more »
November plug-in sales: LEAF (still) leads, Ford falters, Toyota tanks, smart surges
The US auto industry had another banner month, and plug-ins were present at the party, though perhaps not first in line at the punchbowl. PEV sales were down a tick from October, but eked out a gain compared to November 2013. Year-to-date sales have now surpassed 2013’s total, and it appears that annual sales will… Read more »
Ford may bring its plug-in hybrid models to Europe
Ford may start selling PHEVs in Europe, following the lead of rival Volkswagen Group. Ford’s Fusion Energi and C-MAX Energi PHEVs have been pretty popular in the US market, but the company hasn’t launched plug-ins in Europe because of what it sees as low demand. However, this week, Uli Koesters, Ford’s Vehicle Line Director for… Read more »
Stanford team develops stable lithium anode
Are the knights of nanotechnology closing in on the Grail at last? A team of researchers at Stanford University claim that they are, and have chronicled their deeds in the journal Nature Nanotechnology. The valiant engineers report that they have designed a pure lithium anode. “Of all the materials that one might use in an… Read more »
Ford and Samsung research lithium-ion/lead-acid dual-battery system
Electric powertrain technology is gradually creeping into legacy gas-powered vehicles. Ford and Samsung have announced that they are researching a dual-battery system that combines a lithium-ion battery with a 12-volt lead-acid battery in order to enable regenerative braking technology in non-hybrid vehicles. “We are currently expanding our Auto Start-Stop technology across 70 percent of our… Read more »