Ford 2011 Transit Connect (Ford Motor Company)
Ford Motor Company has built a monitoring system for lab and field tests of its electric vehicle batteries, using wireless Internet technology. The system collects real-time performance data with sensors on the vehicles’ lithium-ion batteries and transmits the data via Internet links to a secure server for access by Ford engineers.
The company says new lithium-ion battery systems in electric and hybrid vehicles offer about twice the energy content of current nickel-metal-hydride batteries, and take up less space. While lithium-ion technology has proven itself in batteries for consumer electronics devices, vehicle batteries need to work under a wider range of conditions, including harsh weather conditions. Of particular importance in these tests is the time needed to recharge the battery and any deterioration that occurs in the process.
Ford will launch two all-electric vehicles –- the Transit Connect Electric light commercial van in North America (pictured left) in late 2010 and in Europe in 2011, followed by the Focus Electric passenger car in North America in 2011 and Europe in 2012. Two new hybrid electric vehicles and a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle are expected to follow in North America in 2012 and Europe in 2013.
Related: Granholm Offers Michigan as Template for Clean Energy Economy. 5 August 2010
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