WASHINGTON — Johnson Controls-Saft will supply the complete battery system for Ford Motor Co.’s first series production plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV), which will be introduced in 2012. Ford announced plans for the battery partnership today at the Washington Auto Show.
PHEVs can store more electrical energy than today’s hybrids, allowing the vehicle to operate on electric-only power more often and for longer distances, with an estimated fuel economy improvement of 60 percent to 100 percent. The battery will power the car on full electric for 40 miles and can be recharged through a standard 120 volt electrical outlet.
The battery packs are to be designed and manufactured by Johnson Controls-Saft. The packs, including cells, mechanical, electrical, electronic and thermal components, will be assembled in the United States. Initially, the cells will be produced at the Johnson Controls-Saft production facility in Nersac, France. Johnson Controls-Saft will also utilize its 58,000 square-foot Battery Technology Center in Milwaukee, the largest and most sophisticated automotive battery research and development facility in the United States, including cell design, system engineering, testing and integration.
Johnson Controls-Saft is presently partnering with Ford, as well as Southern California-Edison (SCE) and Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), on a 20-vehicle test fleet of PHEVs to demonstrate the capability of PHEVs as part of a complete vehicle, home and grid energy system. Data from this demonstration fleet will be used to support the PHEV production program.
The five-year supply agreement includes delivery of battery packs for committed production in 2012 with a target of five thousand units per year, with the potential to ramp up to meet customer demand.
