Ford CEO says 'partial electrification' is more than 'transitional'

[jpd80]

Ford CEO says 'partial electrification' is more than 'transitional'

https://www.detroitnews.com/story/bu...l/73905508007/

Ford Motor Co. CEO Jim Farley said Thursday that "partial electrification" options like hybrids and extended-range electric vehicles are more than just "transitional" technologies.

The auto industry over the past year has reevaluated all-electric vehicle adoption timelines, given affordability and range challenges. Ford and others have reemphasized hybrid technologies or said they are reintroducing them in the coming years. The circumstances and China's strength in new-energy and advanced driving assistance systems have convinced Farley the company must be able to compete at the low-priced end of the market.


“ I come here at this moment in time as a CEO much clearer about our executional priorities," Farley said at the Bernstein Annual Strategic Decisions Conference. "And the way we need to make our way through this successfully to be a great company is a lot clearer than it was last year."

Partial electrification, Farley said, is increasingly part of that solution, noting that the hybrid F-150 truck represents a quarter of sales. Beyond hybrids and plug-in hybrids, the category includes extended-range electric vehicles, or EREVs. Typically, they're vehicles that run fully off batteries, but have a generator, usually a combustion engine, onboard that recharges the battery, extending its range. The combination allows the vehicles to have a smaller battery, which represents most of the cost of an EV.


“ EREVs in the U.S. could be 120 miles of all-electric, and they drive like EVs," Farley said. "They don't drive like combustion engine vehicles, so you get an EV, and you have 700 miles of range. You don't have range anxiety for a long trip. You don't have to rely on any charges. And those vehicles have half the batteries, so they're very profitable."

The fitness test for an automaker, he said, will be how quickly a company can adopt an in-between technology like this: "We really like that solution," Farley said about EREVs.


The technology, however, begs the question of how regulators will see it, since it's not a zero-carbon emissions vehicle like traditional EVs, though most trips would be able to be run all-electric, because they're short-distance. Former Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis said Ramcharger sales would count toward Stellantis' EV goals.

“ We're going to have to talk to all the regulators," Farley said, "because they really bet on pure EVs, but EREVs in China are really the growing part of the EV market."

More at the story link…..

So Ford is about to pivot again to hybrids and PHEVs with bigger batteries.
Good if this means more interesting vehicles for our market but I have a feeling
that Ford is not looking beyond Left Hand Drive markets like US, Europe and China…

For the record, I’m glad to be proven wrong on this…(I often am)