Ford is releasing details today of its $4.5 billion drive to field no fewer than 13 new electric and/or hybrid electric vehicles globally in the next five years. The eye-catcher is a hybrid-electric police car, said to be the first hybrid ever to be pursuit-rated.
“The plans are part of Ford’s expansion to be an auto and a mobility company, including leading in electric and autonomous vehicles, and new mobility solutions,” states a release. The new Ford Police Responder Hybrid Sedan is initially for New York City and Los Angeles.
“Cities could see approximately $3,877 a year in fuel savings per vehicle, based on $2.50 per gallon fuel prices,” Ford says, as well as less vehicle downtime for fill-ups. The car has a 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle engine charging a lithium ion battery.
‘Sustainable Approaches in Community Policing’
The hybrid cop car “is calibrated for law enforcement’s unique duty cycle and will run in battery-only mode up to 60 mph,” Ford says. It automatically switches to maximum performance, with engine and battery working at peak acceleration levels, when needed.
“Our mission to create safe and healthy communities in Los Angeles is achieved through sustainable approaches in community policing, and that includes embracing new technologies,” Los Angeles Police Department Chief Charlie Beck says in Ford’s EV announcement.
Deliveries This Summer
“Patrol vehicles are a police officer’s office, and we expect them to not only be economically and environmentally efficient but also an effective tool for fighting crime in major metropolitan areas,” he said.
Ford’s new Police Responder Hybrid Sedan “can be ordered this spring and will be delivered to police departments nationwide next summer.” Ford is also promising today:
>another new hybrid police vehicle for North America;
>an all-new fully electric small SUV, coming by 2020, engineered to deliver an estimated range of at least 300 miles, to be sold in North America, Europe and Asia;
>a hybrid-powered autonomous vehicle designed for commercial mobility services, starting in North America in 2021;
>a hybrid version of the popular F-150 pickup, available by 2020, and sold in North America and the Middle East. The F-150 Hybrid “will offer powerful towing and payload capacity, and will operate as a mobile generator tough enough to power a job site,” Ford says;
>a hybrid version of the Mustang that will deliver V-8 power and even more low-end torque, to debut in 2020 initially for North America; and
>a PHEV/plug-in electric vehicle variant of the Transit Custom for in 2019 in Europe, “engineered to help reduce operating costs in even the most congested streets.”
Ford said too in today’s announcement that it’s testing a fleet of 20 Transit Connect hybrid taxi and van prototypes in New York and several other major U.S. cities.
This past Thursday Ford detailed its “ambitious” vehicle electrification strategy for China, including the Mondeo Energi PHEV to be manufactured in China beginning next year through Ford’s Changan Ford joint venture, and an all-new fully electric small SUV with an estimated range of more than 450 kilometers, or 280 miles.
Source: Fleets & Fuels