The Electric Future of Ford

“Electrification is now a core competency for Ford”- Bill Ford





Yesterday, Ford Motor Company’s CEO Alan Mulally revealed Ford’s 2012 Focus Electric at the Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show (CES). Simultaneously, there was a press event in New York City featuring Bill Ford, Executive Chairman of Ford Motor Company who spoke about the future of Ford’s electric vehicles.

Ford Motor Company is aware that customers are shopping around and educating themselves when deciding which vehicle to purchase. In order to differentiate the brand from competitors, Ford realizes that they need to give their customers a variety of options and choices. Because of this, Ford has plans to manufacture 5 different electric vehicles by 2012 in North American markets as well as European. (The first Ford electric vehicle was the Transit Connect Electric.) *

The company wants to be “a leader in fuel economy in every segment”, not just targeting demographically those who can afford expensive high-end vehicles. In order to accomplish their goal of becoming a leader in the electric vehicle market, Ford plans to house the assembly of these vehicles in one Plant in Wayne, Michigan. About this move, Bill Ford remarked, “We are investing more dollars to design, develop, and build electrified vehicles…we are working to create a center of electrification, bringing much of the work in-house.”*

Here is a summary of what you can expect from the 2012 Ford Focus Electric:

• Entirely powered by a 23kWh lithium-ion battery pack
• Little if not any C02 emissions
• 100 miles on a full charge
• Will be able to be charged within 3 to 4 hours (1/2 the time of competitors)
• Will use a 240v at home charging station as well as have the option of charging stations on the road
• Top speed of about 84 mph
• Instant torque
• The interior of the car, more specifically the seats, are made from 100% sustainable materials. Actual recycled blue jean fabric will be used for insulation.
• Ford will be partnering with Best Buy and the Geek Squad to make an set up of the charging station easy
• Convenient and removable charging unit

Ford also unveiled My Ford Mobile. This is an application for smart-phones which will be free for users for the first 5 years of vehicle ownership. What you can expect from this application:

• The ability to access controls and settings of your vehicle with the touch of a button
• Be able to see how many gallons of gasoline and lbs of C02 you have saved
• The application will learn your driving style and apply the information to help the driver make more calculated decisions
• The owner will be able to start charging their vehicle at home just by using their phone
• MapQuest will work with SYNC to map out charging stations and you will be able to save your favorites on the app
• Reward features such as receiving Foursquare badges and Xbox live credit

This is the future of the automotive industry. The consumers are ready for a change and Ford is stepping up to the plate and giving them what they are asking for. Mulally predicts that in 10 years,1/4 of global auto sales will be from electric vehicles.** The Focus Electric will be in dealerships later this year. For now I will leave you with this last quote from Mulally:

“Drive a Ford, feel the difference”- Alan Mulally

* Press Coverage of Event

** Automotive News

Ford and Best Buy Team Up

Test Drive a 2011 Ford Edge and Earn 2,500 Best Buy Reward Zone Points

Best Buy Reward Zone Premier Silver members have the opportunity to earn 2,500 Reward Zone points by test driving the 2011 Ford Edge. Premier Silver members will have the ability to opt-in to take advantage of this promotion from November 22nd until December 19th. Members will receive emails from Best Buy explaining this offer and the option to opt-in will also be available on the landing page of the Reward Zone website.

In order to qualify to be a Reward Zone Premier Silver member, a participant would have to either spend $2,500 on eligible purchases in Best Buy stores or on Bestbuy.com in one calendar year. Another way to qualify is by spending $2,500 anywhere using a Reward Zone Master Card.

Once a qualified member has opted-in, they will need to print out the generated confirmation email which will explain the program offer. The participant will then bring this print-out to a local Ford dealer, where they will be able to complete their test drive of the new 2011 Ford Edge. After the test drive is completed, the member will receive a code from the dealership that will need to be entered on http://www.myrz.com/testdrive
between December 19th -31st. The member will then receive 2,500 points, which translates to $50 in Best Buy Reward Zone certificates.

For more information on this offer, visit http://www.myrz.com