Ford says less is more with its electric vehicle batteries

Do not expect to see an electricity Ford with a huge battery pack and range numbers to be declared wild any time soon.

Ford CEO Jim Farley said in a recent Q&A by the company Capital Market Day the company is focusing on optimizing its battery pack for efficiency, instead of using giant batteries like some rival brands are doing.

“Smaller batteries, less labor, cheaper distribution,” said Mr. Farley.

“When it comes to smaller batteries, I don’t know what’s happening in this industry right now. All I hear are all the announcements about 450 miles (~724km) and 500 miles (~805km).

Mr. Farley added: “There is another word today about a three-row crossover that will be electric,” added Mr Farley, possibly referring to the recently revealed model. Cadillac Escalade IQ is expected to share General Motors’ Ultium BT1 body-on-frame architecture with Chevrolet Silverado EV, GMC Hummer EVAnd GMC Sierra Electric Scooter.

“These batteries are huge. If you have those batteries, you won’t make any money. So we started talking about battery size for range, efficiency,” continued Mr Farley.

“We won’t go to 600 miles (~966km). We are trying to make the battery as small as possible for the competitive range. We are trying to reduce the simplicity of the product so that we have a very low labor content.”

At Ford Capital Market Day tease an electric three-row SUV that will come due in the US in 2025, with a claimed range of 563km. A next-generation electric ute has also been revealed.

A notable example of an electric vehicle (EV) from an established automaker with a large battery pack to achieve a long range is claimed to be the upcoming model. RAM 1500 REPLACEMENTSwill also launch locally by the end of 2024.

In the United States, the standard battery pack is 168 kWh, which can provide a range of about 350 miles (~563 km). There’s also an optional 229kWh pack that Ram believes will deliver 500 miles of range.

Ram has also teased an extended range variant of the 1500 REV, though details won’t be available until later this year.

Ford reorganized its business last year into three units: Ford Blue (combustion and hybrid vehicles), Ford Model e (EV) and Ford Pro (commercial products and services).

The company expects a loss of US$3 billion (AU$4.49 billion) before tax on its Model e business this year, up from a loss of US$2 billion ($3 billion). la Australia) that the company experienced in 2022.

The division posted an EBIT (earnings before income and tax) drop of $722 million (AU$1.07 billion) in the first quarter of this year.

However, it said it is on track this year “towards a near-breakeven contribution margin” in its Model e and for its first-generation products to have stable EBIT margins. later this year.

Ford’s investment in three battery and electric vehicle plants is expected to cost the company about US$11.4 billion ($15.7 billion) and create around 11,000 jobs.

The company’s EV plans include a global production target of 600,000 units by the end of the year and two million by the end of 2026.

The company says it predicts 40 to 50 percent of its fleet will be electric by 2030.

THAN: Ford unveils new electric three-row SUV