Might be time to boycott all Ford products ? Seemed to work pretty quickly with Uber. CleanTechnica reports - Ford CEO Mark Fields Told Trump 1 Million US Jobs Are At Stake Because Of Fuel Economy Rules….

Fields apparently told President Donald Trump during a recent meeting that there are “about 1 million US jobs are at risk if fuel-economy rules don’t align with market reality” — this is Bloomberg‘s exact paraphrase.

The SMH has an article on an electric bike concept being displayed by Ford -Ford turns its attention to two-wheels.

The Blue Oval brand has revealed its new E-Bike concept pushbike that it says “could be an innovative solution for urban mobility". The E-Bike concept is part plug-in and part pushy, with a conventional cog set at the rear wheel and a front wheel-mounted electronic hub that can also be used to propel the bike.

"The e-bike market is growing very, very rapidly, with some 30 million units sold globally last year," says Axel Wilke, director of vehicle personalisation from Ford’s European service division.
"We see e-bikes as an important element of urban electric mobility. More and more people are using e bikes for short distance commuting and they are becoming comfortable with the concept of electric mobility."

Ford says it has taken inspiration from technology used in formula one in the form of “magnetostrictive" materials, which “are used to convert magnetic energy into kinetic energy, and vice versa", with sensors able to provide “a seamless integration of the power of the legs with the power of the motor" by switching between or blending the two power sources “within a hundredth of a second".

The trapezoidal frame is constructed of lightweight aluminium and carbon fibre, tipping the scales at just 2.5kg. The frame houses the integrated lithium-ion battery which is good for 85 kilometres on a full charge, and takes just two hours to charge to 80 per cent or four hours for a full fill.

Despite Ford admitting that bikes like this are important for the future of transport, the US-based company says it isn’t planning on bringing the E-Bike to production.

Wired has a report on Ford's progress down the road towards electric vehicles - Ford to Triple Hybrid Production, Introduce Plug-In.

Ford is taking aim at two of its biggest competitors with a hybrid and plug-in hybrid based on the C-Max model it sells in Europe. The two cars roll into showrooms next year as part of the automaker’s aggressive plan to triple production of hybrid and electric vehicles by 2013.

The second-largest U.S. automaker has said one in four cars it sells by 2020 will have an electric motor and a big battery of some sort. To reach that goal, Ford will ramp up production of hybrids, plug-in hybrids and electric vehicles to 100,000 within two years. It is investing $135 million and adding 220 jobs at three Michigan factories to hit that goal, which includes rolling out models to compete with the Toyota Prius and Chevrolet Volt.

“This is really a big deal for us because we’re seeing a growing appetite for fuel-efficient and green vehicles,” said Jim Farley, group vice president of marketing, sales and service. “May was our biggest month for small cars in decades. Customers are really prioritizing fuel economy.”

The hybrid and plug-in are based on the C-Max sold in Europe. Ford has sold more than 100,000 of the compact cars since introducing it last year. It planned to bring the C-Max, including a seven-passenger version, over here but decided to offer only gas-electric five-passenger models.

“This is a much better opportunity than introducing the seven-passenger gasoline model,” Farley said.

The C-Max Hybrid (pictured) will join the excellent Fusion Hybrid in chipping away at the market dominance of the Toyota Prius. The C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid, meanwhile, appears aimed at the Chevrolet Volt and forthcoming Prius plug-in hybrid.

Both will use the same platform as the Ford Focus, meaning they will share suspension components and other hardware. Ford didn’t offer any specs but promised the C-Max Hybrid will deliver better fuel economy than the 41 mpg city and 36 highway of the Fusion Hybrid. The Energi will offer a combined gas-electric range of 500 miles.

Energy Matters reports that ford is looking to solar power for its new electric vehicle factory - Ford Turning To Solar Power.

Ford Motor Co. has announced it will build a solar farm to generate electricity at its hybrid electric vehicle factory in Michigan. Another smaller solar power station will power lighting at the assembly plant.

The site will add renewable solar energy to standard grid power at the plant, which will build Ford’s new Focus electric car and other future models of clean energy hybrids. A second 750 kilowatt facility will provide two million watt-hours of battery storage from the new station’s 500 kilowatt solar photovoltaic system.

The company expects that the switch to solar power will save the company USD$160,000 per year in energy costs.

Ford will partner with Detroit Edison and Xtreme Power to install the multi-million dollar plant.

Part of the plan is the construction of a number of new electric filling stations to power electric trucks used to transport parts, and to demonstrate smart-grid technology.

The solar power station will cost almost USD$6,000,000 to build. Ford will invest only a small part of the funds, with the majority of money coming from public coffers and the Detroit Edison's SolarCurrents program. Work is expected to begin later this year.

BusinessWeek has a report on Ford's plan to expand electric vehicle production - Ford Invests $135 Million, Adds 220 Electric-Car Jobs.

Ford Motor Co., working to make a quarter of its vehicles run at least partly on electricity, plans to invest $135 million and add 220 jobs at three Michigan facilities to help it introduce five such models by 2012.

About 50 engineers will be hired for a research and development center to be created in the Detroit area, John Stoll, a Ford spokesman, said today in an interview. Ford plans to add 170 production workers at two Michigan plants, he said.

Ford has said it will begin selling two electric vehicles and three new hybrids by 2012 and that such models will constitute 10 percent to 25 percent of its worldwide fleet in a decade. Automakers are developing models powered entirely or in part by electricity to meet U.S. fuel-economy standards.

“Ford has been at the forefront of layering this new technology into their vehicles,” Michael Robinet, an auto- industry analyst with CSM Worldwide in Northville, Michigan, said in a telephone interview. “It’s been an incremental strategy, but one that’s well thought-out and bodes well for their future.”

Tripe Pundit has an article on Ford's use of bioplastic in their cars - Plastic Made With Wheat Straw Cuts Ford’s Petroleum Use.

For years, Ford has been experimenting with materials to cut its petroleum use, and the 2010 Ford Flex will showcase the latest fruits of its labor. The Flex’s third-row storage bin will have a 20 percent wheat straw-based plastic content.

While the change may seem small, it will cut manufacturing petroleum by 10 tons and CO2 emissions by 15 tons, and cut the storage bin’s weight by 10 percent — thereby saving the end consumer a small amount of fuel, as well. Similarly, in late September, Ford announced that it is now using soy-based foam in seat cushions and backs and interior roof covers, a change that saved 750 tons of petroleum in the manufacturing process. The soy foam is also 25 percent lighter than petroleum foam.

Bioplastics is a burgeoning industry, and the material is showing up everywhere from cell phone casing to grocery bags. But it may not be ideal for durable consumer goods like vehicles. Because of their natural fiber components, these plastics tend to absorb moisture more readily and decompose more quickly than traditional plastic — a desirable quality in plastic bags, but not in dashboards.

The WSJ has an article on Ford's electric car plans and their efforts to integrate with smart grids - Ford Plans Vehicles to Tap Power Grids.

Ford Motor Co. is launching an in-vehicle technology to let its customers recharge electric cars when energy rates are low.

The "smart" charging concept announced Tuesday is key for all auto makers that are pursuing electric vehicles in a variety of forms, from plug-in gas-electric hybrids to fully electric cars and trucks that use no gasoline. Most of those vehicles are still months, if not years, away from reaching showrooms.

But car companies say that in order for electrified cars to be accepted widely, the companies must steer customers away from sapping too much power from the electric grid during peak hours—which could be cost-prohibitive and threaten the grid's stability. They also want consumers to be able to charge their cars quickly and at the most efficient times.

Developing an electric vehicle was relatively easy compared with working with "our partners at energy providers," Bill Ford, the auto maker's executive chairman, said during a question-and-answer session at the company's Dearborn, Mich., test track. There are more than 3,000 utility companies, and just a handful of auto companies.

The touch-screen technology will allow the car owner to program how to recharge the vehicle, even delaying the recharge for the middle of the night or choosing to tap renewable energy generated by wind or sun. A similar system is expected to be used when General Motors Co.'s Chevy introduces its plug-in Volt car late next year, a company spokesman said.

Other car makers working on electric vehicles include Toyota Motor Co., Mitsubishi Motors Corp. and Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd., maker of Subarus. Nissan Motor Co. announced this year it will build 100,000 electric cars a year at its plant in Smyrna, Tenn., by 2013.

Ford plans to bring to market a pure battery electric Transit Connect commercial van next year, an all-electric Focus compact car in 2011, and a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle in 2012. ...

When plugged in, Ford's battery systems in plug-in hybrids will be able to talk to the electrical grid through "smart" meters provided by utility companies via wireless networking. The owner uses an in-dash computer to choose when the vehicle should recharge, for how long and at what utility rate.

All 21 SUVs in Ford's experimental fleet of plug-in hybrid Escapes eventually will be equipped with the vehicle-to-grid communications technology.

Tony Posawatz, vehicle line director for the Volt program, said that the kind of technology unveiled by Ford Tuesday was already demonstrated by GM in December.

Instead of relying on so-called "smart" utility meters, the Volt will be able to interact with utility companies remotely through GM's OnStar technology. "The point is some of our competitors will rely on technology that requires smart meters, which is years away," Mr. Posawatz said. "We do not."

While meeting with Susan Cischke, group vice president of sustainability, environment and safety engineering at Ford Motor Company, we got on the topic of Better Place.

Cischke was in town pitching the 2010 Taurus, which comes equipped with keyless entry, a key that can be programmed to block the radio until seatbelts are fastened (handy if you lend your car to your children), and the EcoBoost engine which ups the gas mileage to 28 miles per gallon on the highway and 17 in the city — important for Ford which has lagged in this area.
But the real miles per gallon improvements will come from the fleet of hybrids Ford is planning and, in 2011, Ford will roll out its first all-electric Ford Focus.

Cischke has met multiple times with Palo Alto-based Better Place Founder Shai Agassi, whose pitching a new model for electric cars whereby car owners don’t own the battery in their car. Instead, Better Place would own electric car batteries and lease them back to car owners, plus sell the electricity used to charge the battery to the customers. The model relies on hundreds of thousands of public car charging stations for in-town charging, plus battery swapping stations where customers can swap out batteries in just a few minutes when a longer battery range is required.

While Cischke said she and Ford are staying open-minded about different models, she’s skeptical about Better Place for a number of reasons.

1. Better Place is a middle man: What’s stopping PG&E Co. or Ford Motor Co. from owning car batteries or selling power to customers through their own charging stations without the help of a middle man?

2. Battery swapping stations are not realistic: Hundreds if not thousands of these would have to be built across the country before this idea could work — an expensive endeavor and the same kind of problem that derailed the advent of hydrogen as a fuel source for autos. Stocking every kind of battery for every electric vehicle will be a nightmare. And actually switching out batteries will prove difficult since every car will be designed differently and batteries weigh thousands of pounds. “My view is that until infrastructure is ready and charging stations are everywhere, a plug-in hybrid makes a lot more sense,” Cischke said.

3. Who will finance a car that has no battery? What value is a car without the battery, and what companies would be willing to finance just the body, sans battery. Cischke guesses not too many.

4. Financial support is not yet apparent here: Better Place has demoed it’s model in Denmark and Israel and where it had full support of the government – including excise taxes that support the installation of infrastructure there. But there seems little hope that the U.S. government will provide the same financial support. Even in the Bay Area where Mayors announced a plan to jointly electrify, touting Better Place as a solution, no money has changed hands.

5. Other models might prove cheaper, easier and ultimately more appealing: Ford said its looked at lots of other business models, hoping to integrate the best solutions for getting the most out of electric cars. “One thing that would change (Better Place’s) model is if quick charging technology was available,” said Cischke. That would eliminate the need for costly battery swapping stations, she said. “They (Better Place) are definitely not the only game in town,” she said.

Tyler Hamilton at Clean Break has a post on a process being implemented at a Ford factory to turn paint fumes into power - Turning paint fumes into fuel.

I had the opportunity last week of visiting Ford Motor Co.’s Oakville assembly plant, where they have just installed a new fumes-to-fuel facility. The facility extracts paint fumes from its auto paint shop and, after filtering and processing the organic volatile compounds, turns them into fuel. That fuel is then reformed and put through a molten carbonate fuel cell to produce up to 300 kilowatts of electricity.

It’s still very experimental, but Ford is trying to figure out the most economical way of reducing its paint-shop emissions. This fumes-to-fuels process can reduce CO2 emissions by 80-plus per cent and eliminate NOx. The electricity also reduces the plant’s draw from the grid, which in a jurisdiction that’s heavily dependent on coal would be a big improvement. It may be many years still before such a process becomes economical, but it’s nice to see an automaker like Ford willing to experiment even as its industry faces tough times.