"We now have the big 3 going electric" "VW , GM and Toyota yes...

"We now have the big 3 going electric"

"VW , GM and Toyota yes CATL will be busy in supplying battery cells but needs a reliable lithium hydroxide"

Ford confirms US-built electric cargo van under its $11.5 billion plan

Key Points

• Ford will release an all-electric version of its popular Transit cargo van as early as next year.
• The U.S.-built van is part of the automaker’s previously announced plan to spend $11.5 billion on vehicle electrification through 2022.
• Ford is moving to retain its leadership in the commercial van space as new competitors such as Rivian, a Michigan-based EV start-up, prepare to enter the segment.

Ford Motor will release an all-electric version of its popular Transit cargo van as early as next year under a previously announced plan to spend $11.5 billion on vehicle electrification through 2022.

Ford is moving to retain its leadership in the commercial van space as new competitors such as Rivian, a Michigan-based EV start-up, prepare to enter the segment.

Rivian, which Ford has invested in and partnered with for a luxury vehicle, last year landed an order from Amazon, another investor in Rivian, for 100,000 all-electric vans.

The all-electric Transit van, according to Ford, will be produced in the U.S. The company declined to provide additional details regarding production. However, the United Auto Workers union last year said the all-electric van would be produced at a Ford plant in Missouri.

Ford also declined to specify timing for the all-electric van. Automakers typically produce vehicles a year before their model year or slightly into their calendar year.

Commercial vehicles such as the Transit are important to the automaker’s bottom line.

Ford has been America’s best-selling commercial van brand for 41 years.

“Commercial vehicles are a critical component to our big bet on electrification,” Jim Farley, recently appointed chief operating officer of Ford, said in a release.

“As leaders in this space, we are accelerating our plans to create solutions that help businesses run better, starting with our all-electric Transit and F-150.”

In addition to the Transit and the previously announced F-150 pickup, the $11.5 billion electric vehicle plan includes several plug-in hybrid models and the all-electric Mustang Mach-E SUV.

“The world is heading toward electrified products and fleet customers are asking for them now,” Farley said.

“We know their vehicles operate as a connected mobile business and their technology needs are different than retail customers.”

www.cnbc.com/2020/03/03/ford-confirms-us-built-electric-cargo-van-under-its-11point5-billion-plan.html




Ford Will Add Transit Cargo Van To Its Electric Vehicle Lineup

Ford announced this week it will offer a battery electric version of its Transit cargo van beginning with the 2022 model year. The electric Transit will join the Mustang Mach-E and an all electric version of the bestselling F-150 pickup truck as Ford ramps up its EV offerings.





“Commercial vehicles are a critical component to our big bet on electrification,” says Ford CEO Jim Farley in a press release.

“As leaders in this space, we are accelerating our plans to create solutions that help businesses run better, starting with our all-electric Transit and F-150. This Ford Transit isn’t just about creating an electric drivetrain, it’s about designing and developing a digital product that propels fleets forward.”

Cargo vans are in demand as online shopping retailers like Amazon and Walmart expand their business models. Ford expects 8% of all new vehicles sold in America will be cargo vans by 2025.

Delivery companies are under pressure from consumers to decrease their carbon footprints while fleet operators are always interested in improving profit margins. With much lower maintenance and fuel costs, electric vehicles can be money-makers for delivery companies while making customers happy as the same time.

It’s a win-win for EVs.

“The world is heading toward electrified products and fleet customers are asking for them now,” Farley adds.

“We know their vehicles operate as a connected mobile business and their technology needs are different than retail customers. So Ford is thinking deeply on connectivity relationships that integrate with our in-vehicle high-speed electrical architectures and cloud-based data services to provide these businesses smart vehicles beyond just the electric powertrains.”

Telematics is a word near and dear to a fleet manager’s heart.

It means being able to track vehicle location, speed, state of battery charge, and many more parameters in real time to increase efficiency and lower costs. The electric Transit will come with full internet connectivity thanks to a built in 4G LTE wi-fi hotspot.

The vans will also include pre-collision assist with automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, forward collision warning, lane departure control, and auto high beam technology.

The electric chassis will be available in cargo van, cutaway, or cab plus chassis configuration. Three roof heights and three body lengths will be offered to suit the needs of every customer.

Service will be provided by Ford’s network of 730 commercial vehicle centers in North America.

Ford also says it has the largest public charging network with more than 12,000 locations throughout the US and Canada.

Range and pricing details will be announced as the date for the start of production gets closer.

https://cleantechnica.com/2020/03/04/ford-will-add-transit-cargo-van-to-its-electric-vehicle-lineup/




Ford Plans $11 Billion Investment, 40 Electrified Vehicles by 2022

Ford plans $11 billion investment, 40 electrified vehicles by 2022

• Ford Motor Company will increase its planned investments in electric vehicles to $11 billion by 2022

• The figure is more than double Ford's previous commitment

• Ford wants to develop 40 different models for hybrid and fully electric vehicles
Ford Motor Company will significantly increase its planned investments in electric vehicles to $11 billion by 2022 and have 40 hybrid and fully electric vehicles in its model lineup, Chairman Bill Ford said on Sunday at the Detroit auto show.

The investment figure is sharply higher than a previously announced target of $4.5 billion by 2020, Ford executives said, and includes the costs of developing dedicated electric vehicle architectures.

Ford's engineering, research and development expenses for 2016, the last full year available, were $7.3 billion, up from $6.7 billion in 2015.

Ford Chief Executive Jim Hackett told investors in October the automaker would slash $14 billion in costs over the next five years and shift capital investment away from sedans and internal combustion engines to develop more trucks and electric and hybrid cars.

Of the 40 electrified vehicles Ford plans for its global lineup by 2022, 16 will be fully electric and the rest will be plug-in hybrids, executives said.

"We're all in on this and we're taking our mainstream vehicles, our most iconic vehicles, and we're electrifying them," Ford told reporters.

"If we want to be successful with electrification, we have to do it with vehicles that are already popular."

SUVs figured in Ford's electric vehicle presentation. The automaker's president of global markets, Jim Farley, said on Sunday that Ford would bring a high-performance electric utility vehicle to market by 2020.

The company will begin production of a hybrid version of its popular F-150 truck at a plant in Dearborn, Michigan, in 2020."What we learned from this first cycle of electrification is people want really nice products," Farley said.

'THINK BIG'

Ford's shift to the electric vehicle strategy has been more than six months in the making after Hackett replaced former Chief Executive Mark Fields in May.

The plan was finalized in recent months after an extensive review, a person familiar with the process said. In October, Ford disclosed it had formed a team to accelerate global development of electric vehicles, whose mission is to "think big" and "make quicker decisions."

Some of the electric vehicles will be produced with Ford's JV in China aimed at the Chinese market.

One aim of Ford's "Team Edison" is to identify and develop electric-vehicle partnerships with other companies, including suppliers, in some markets, according to Sherif Marakby, vice president of autonomous vehicles and electrification.



http://www.ilovebrightonford.com/2018/02/ford-plans-11-billion-investment-40.html