- Toll Bros. Revenue Sinks 51%, Confident on Liquidity
- Publicis' 2008 Profit Declines, Fights for Ad Budgets
- Euro Stocks Down; Banks Fall, Sanofi Rises
- KB Financial Profit Misses Forecast on Loan Provisions
- Slump in China Exports, Imports Gathers Pace
- Australia Sifts Through Ash to ID Bushfire Victims
- China May Cut Taxes to Aid Light Industry
- Elpida, Taiwanese Chipmakers to Integrate
- Australia Consumers Fearful Despite Stimulus
- Cramer’s Outrage: Principal Financial Group
- Lightning Round OT: Goldman Sachs, Carnival and More
- A Sector Geithner Can’t Touch?
- Mary Schapiro’s To-Do List
- Cramer Finds Good in Geithner Plan
- Your First Move For Wednesday February 11th
- Web Extra: Fast & Furious Trades For Wednesday
- Rising Star Stock – Monday February 9th
- Range Roving with Jon Najarian
- Dollar Thrifty signs vehicle supply deal with Ford
- Hypo Real Estate to get another euro10B from state
- Earnings Preview: Viacom 4Q decline seen
- Chesapeake Energy starts $300M notes offering
- South Africa predicts budget deficit
- DaVita profit climbs 15 percent in 4th quarter
- Law firm claims $65 million settlement by Facebook
- EU probes sale of Austrian Airlines to Lufthansa
- Ahead of the Bell: International Coal to report 4Q
Text Size 
WASHINGTON - Ford Motor Co. said Johnson Controls-Saft will supply the battery system for the automaker's first production plug-in hybrid electric vehicle beginning in 2012.
Ford is also expanding its test program to include several utilities around the nation to speed up the commercialization of plug-in hybrid vehicles.
The partnerships, being announced Tuesday at the Washington Auto Show, are part of Ford's strategy to bring a battery-electric vehicle van to market in 2010 for commercial use, a small battery-electric sedan developed with Magna International by 2011 and a plug-in electric vehicle by 2012.
"As we move toward greater electrification of vehicles, we can achieve much more by working together toward a common goal," said Sue Cischke, Ford's group vice president for sustainability, environment and safety engineering.
The lithium-ion battery system being designed by Milwaukee-based Johnson Controls will include cells along with mechanical, electrical, electronic and thermal components.
Terms of the five-year supply agreement were not disclosed, but the companies have set a production target of 5,000 units a year. The cells will initially be produced at the supplier's facility in France but eventually be assembled in the United States.
"As U.S. vehicle manufacturers commercialize their hybrid programs, the industry will be best served with a qualified and robust domestic supply base," said Alex Molinaroli, president of Johnson Controls Power Solutions.
Johnson Controls-Saft is a joint venture between auto parts maker Johnson Controls Inc. and Paris-based battery producer Saft SA.
In the tests, Ford said the utilities were joining its partnership with the Electric Power Research Institute to conduct tests on a fleet of Ford Escape plug-in hybrid vehicles.
The partnership will allow the utilities to study regional differences and the vehicles' impact on the electric grid.
___
On the Net:
Ford Motor Co.: http://www.ford.com
Johnson Controls: http://www.johnsoncontrols.com/
Print
Email
Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes