Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Ford, Fuel, & the Economy: Stitching them Together



In 2009 when the Auto Industry was brought to its knees the economic turmoil, one automaker seemed a little ahead of the curve. Ford, grinded and saved and was able to evade a government bailout and help. This could be considered a major stepping stone to the path to greatness and the opportunity to take the Royal Crown of Automakers. Ford was ahead of the curve on many of its models, transforming many lines to boost fuel economy and drive gas bills down for consumers. Well the people of the kingdom responded and loved the alteration Ford was making. For a serious sustainable profit margin Ford continues to boost fuel efficiency and drive up MPG so you can drive down wherever you want for as long as you want. With Ford’s eco-boost technology it helped improve turbo charging and direct fuel injections. This boosts the overall power the engines have without sacrificing excess gasoline. Ford is teetering on the line of Fuel efficiency while preserving price affordability. It is a tight rope, but Ford is the best trained automaker in the business.
Here is a short except from a Ford Specialist about the alternative fuel vehicle by 2020….

Q: What are your predictions for sales of alternative fuel vehicles by 2020?A: Alternative cars include hybrid electric, battery electric and plug-in hybrids. We’re projecting that about 10-25 percent of our fleet will be electrified by 2020. Of those, 75 percent of vehicles will be traditional hybrids, 20-25 percent plug-in hybrids and 5-10 percent, battery electrics. Traditional hybrids are going to dominate electric vehicles. A smaller percentage will be plug-in hybrids and a relatively small number pure battery electric. Affordability dominates and hybrids will be the most affordable purchase price vehicles.
Q: What are the near-term and long-term challenges for alternative vehicles?A: Near-term, the affordability piece. Are people interested in protecting the environment? Absolutely. Are people interested in going to the gas station less? Absolutely. People will say, I can only afford so much. All advances we’re making in gasoline vehicles have ironically been a detriment to our alternative vehicles. Long term, affordability will be less of an issue. Customers will have many choices in types of fuels and features. How do you educate dealers and customers on the complexity? That’s what we’re thinking now. 
The rest of this interview can be viewed here

-Benjamin Sporn


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