So it seems that Treehugger.com reported Jay Leno’s “Green Car Challenge” Will be a Regular Segment.
Just a few days after Ford’s unveiling of its electric Focus prototype at Frankfurt, we get photos and specs of the electric Focus that will be used in Jay Leno’s Green Car Challenge (which is basically just getting the best lap tip on the track, and beating any previous records) during the first season of his new show. Drew Barrymore drives Jay’s German made European 5-door Focus ST (not the upcoming new Focus, which will be a global car). It was converted into a battery-powered electric car. Did it in Michigan over six weeks.
Source: Ford Motor Company
Ford is also piloting wireless technology that makes recharging an electric vehicle as easy as pulling into a parking spot; in addition, the company is testing EV prototypes this year in Europe, New York and other large U.S. cities
FLAT ROCK, Mich., Jan. 3, 2017 – Ford today detailed seven of the 13 new global electrified vehicles it plans to introduce in the next five years, including hybrid versions of the iconic F-150 pickup and Mustang in the U.S., a plug-in hybrid Transit Custom van in Europe and a fully electric SUV with an expected range of at least 300 miles for customers globally.
The automaker also announced plans to invest $700 million to expand its Flat Rock Assembly Plant in Michigan into a factory that will build high-tech autonomous and electric vehicles along with the Mustang and Lincoln Continental. The expansion will create 700 direct new jobs.
The moves are part of a $4.5 billion investment in electrified vehicles by 2020, offering customers greater fuel efficiency, capability and power across Ford’s global vehicle lineup. The plans are part of the company’s expansion to be an auto and a mobility company, including leading in electrified and autonomous vehicles and providing new mobility solutions.
Ford is focusing its EV plan on its areas of strength. Therefore electrifying its most popular, high-volume commercial vehicles, trucks, SUVs and performance vehicles. That’s to make them even more capable, productive and fun to drive.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqUbWrbJE-w&w=560&h=315%5D
The seven global electrified vehicles announced today include:
An all-new fully electric small SUV, coming by 2020, engineered to deliver an estimated range of at least 300 miles, to be built at the Flat Rock plant and sold in North America, Europe and Asia.
Unique Electrification Technology
Building on two decades of experience, Ford is applying lessons learned to deliver patented technology, software and services to appeal to truck customers, SUV owners, performance enthusiasts, high-volume commercial fleets and everyone in between.
This year, Ford begins testing its new generation of EV technology.
Today, Ford is America’s top-selling plug-in hybrid brand and second in overall U.S. electrified vehicle sales.
New Services
Applying approximately two decades of leadership in EVs and commercial vehicles, Ford also is working on a suite of services to make EVs even easier to live with.
Ford already has a memorandum of understanding with several other automakers in Europe to create an ultra-fast charging network projected to be significantly faster than the most powerful charging system deployed today. An initial target of about 400 sites in Europe is planned. By 2020, consumers should have access to thousands of high-powered charging points.
