福特汽车(Ford Motor Co.)正在不断加速电动汽车项目的研发。近日，公司投入45亿美元，旨在推出更多的混合动力车、插电式混合动力车（PHEV）和纯电动车，到2020年，电气化车辆将占福特全部车型的40%。

福特公司将在未来4年内推出13款新型电动和混动车型，扩大电气化车型的比例。福特产品研发副总裁兼首席技术官Raj Nair表示，插电式混合动力车（PHEV）将成为增长最快的类别。他还指出，目前福特是北美地区PHEV市场的龙头。

福特将在2016年底推出一款电动福克斯(Focus Electric)，其续航里程可达161km，可支持直流快充。Nair介绍，这款车的SAE认证2级充电系统可在30分钟内充电80%。而与新款相比，目前的福克斯电动汽车续航里程仅为122km。福特的竞争对手通用汽车最近发布了2017年款雪佛兰Bolt电动汽车，并声称该车的续航里程达到了惊人的322km。最近在迪尔伯恩（Dearborn）举行的一次媒体活动上，Nair多次被问及福特对此有什么看法。

《汽车工程杂志》从福特动力总成部获悉，目前福特正在进行“多个电气化项目”，其中包括轻型卡车混合动力总成研发，和对现有PHEV进行优化的项目。这位知情人表示，福特或将在2016年底特律国际车展(North American International Auto Show)上发布升级版Fusion Energi，新版本车型的电动模式续航里程将超过目前的34km。

福特对汽车电气化的大手笔投资，正逢北美电动汽车市场受油价走低的影响，销售普遍低迷之时。根据Autodata汽车资料数据显示，截止2015年11月，福特C-Max Fusion和混动版林肯(Lincoln)MKZ的全年交付量下跌25%，仅为59301辆。日产聆风(Nissan Leaf)、雪佛兰沃蓝达(Chevrolet Volt)和丰田普锐斯(Toyota Prius)的销量分别下滑41%、23%和12%。

目前，福特正在迪尔伯恩地区大举扩张旗下的电气化动力系统工程项目。公司在2015年新聘请了120名工程师，并计划在2016年继续扩充人才库。此外，福特还在去年秋天与密歇根大学和密歇根经济发展公司(Michigan Economic Development Corp.)联手，在密歇根大学设立了一个价值900万美元的电池实验室，用于研发能量密度、功率密度更高，且成本更低的汽车电池。

作者：Lindsay Brooke
来源：SAE《汽车工程杂志》
翻译：SAE上海办公室

Ford pumps $4.5B into electrifying 40% of its global product line by 2020

Ford Motor Co. is accelerating its electrified vehicle development program, backed by a recent $4.5 billion investment aimed at making 40% of the company’s global vehicles hybrids, plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), and battery-electrics by 2020.

Ford will add 13 new EVs and hybrids over the next four model years, raising the percentage of electrified vehicles in its lineup from 13% in 2015. PHEVs will be the fastest-growing type of electrified vehicle, according to Raj Nair, Executive Vice President of Product Development and CTO. Nair noted that Ford is the current North American market leader in PHEVs.

A Focus Electric with a 100-mi (161-km) range and DC fast charge capability will enter production in late 2016. The SAE Level 2 charging system will deliver an 80% state of charge in 30 min, Nair said. The current Focus EV can travel 76 mi (122 km) between charges. At a recent media event in Dearborn, Nair was repeatedly asked about Ford’s response to the recently unveiled 2017 ChevroletBolt EV, which GM claims will have a 200-mi (322-km) range on a single charge.

Ford Powertrain sources tell Automotive Engineering that the company has “a variety of electrified programs in the works” including a hybridized powertrain for light trucks and improved versions of its current PHEVs. The sources indicated that Ford may unveil at the 2016 North American International Auto Show in Detroit an improved version of its Fusion Energi for 2017, with greater EV range than the incumbent model’s 21 mi (34 km).

Ford’s amped-up investment strategy comes at a time of depressed North American sales of electrified cars in general, a result of low retail gasoline prices. Deliveries in 2015 through November of Ford’s C-Max, Fusion, and Lincoln MKZ hybrid versions fell 25% to 59,301 units, according to Autodata.

Sales slid 41% for Nissan’s Leaf EV, 23% for Chevrolet’s Volt plug-in hybrid, and 12% for the Toyota Prius.

Ford is significantly expanding its Electrified Powertrain Engineering program in Dearborn. It hired an additional 120 engineers in 2015 and plans to add more in 2016. Last fall Ford, along with partners the University of Michigan and theMichigan Economic Development Corp., announced a $9 million battery lab at the university to help develop more energy- and power-dense, lower cost battery cells.

Author: Lindsay Brooke
Source: SAE Automtive Engineering Magazine