Ford Expands EV Strategy, To Spend Over Rs. 2 Lakh Crore On Electrification
Ford has come up with a future strategy called “Ford+” which will focus on EV leadership, connected services and customer relationships.
Under the plan, the American brand expects 40 percent of its global vehicle volume to be all-electric by 2030 and has raised planned electrification spending to over $30 billion (Rs. 2.18 lakh crores) by 2025.
Earlier, the carmaker had announced that it will spend $22 billion (Rs. 1.6 lakh crore) through 2025 on electrifying its products which will be sold across America, China and Europe.
While Ford already sells the Mustang Mach-E, it will also launch E-Transit commercial vans later this year, while the F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck will be put on sale in 2022.
The brand will be deriving efficiencies from its flexible EV architecture and modular technologies. It is said that Ford is planning to introduce at least 2 new EV platforms – 1 for cars and crossovers (likely to be called GE2) and the other for SUVs and pickup trucks (rumoured as TE1) – by 2025.
Further, the spending on electrification will also include battery development. Ford will create an “Ion Park”, a global centre where more than 150 experts will work on different battery chemistries and manufacturing methods.
Ford plans to use its “IonBoost” lithium ion batteries for its cars and “IonBoost Pro” lithium iron phosphate batteries for commercial vehicles. It will also work on creating low-cost solid-state batteries.
Also, the American brand will form a joint venture, BlueOvalSK, with Korea’s SK Innovation to manufacture battery cells in the USA for future Ford and Lincoln vehicles.
Like every other carmaker, Ford is also working on connected services and plans to have about 33 million OTA-enabled Ford and Lincoln vehicles on the road by 2028.
Moreover, it is working on Blue Oval Intelligence (cloud-based platform), advanced versions of Ford Pass and Lincoln Way, and on integrating technology from Apple, Amazon, Google and Baidu, along with connected functions like BlueCruise driver-assist tech, and EV charging.
As part of the new Ford EV strategy, the company also plans to establish Ford Pro vehicle services and distribution business, fully dedicated to productivity requirements of commercial and government customers.
