ford Archives – The Green Optimistic

Ford’s “Team Edison” to Drive EV Development Forward

Guest Contributor — Mon, 09 Oct 2017 17:15:15 +0000

Ford has decided to speed up the global development of electric cars, by creating a team who will be tasked with identifying and developing partnerships with other companies in the EV industry. These will include other carmakers, battery manufacturers, and more. The news of the carmaker’s initiative coincided with the announcement made by General Motors […]

The post Ford’s “Team Edison” to Drive EV Development Forward appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Ford Exposes Its First-Ever Range Extended Hybrid Transit Van

Janina Lazo-Cruz — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 20:37:04 +0000

Aiming for a lower NOx and particulates emission of delivery vans in London’s central cities, Ford will be releasing in 2019 its first ever range-extender hybrid transit van. In its electric mode, zero emission is achieved, while with its petrol range-extender mode has 25% lesser NOx emission than that of a diesel. Prior its mass […]

The post Ford Exposes Its First-Ever Range Extended Hybrid Transit Van appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

The Story Behind Ford’s Model E Isn’t So S-E-X-Y

Courtney Lepping — Thu, 01 Sep 2016 19:10:07 +0000

You’ve heard of Ford CEO Mark Field’s upcoming electric vehicle, Model E, which is rumored to come in two body styles: a sedan and a crossover. There’s a lot of reasons why consumers are excited. Model E will have a starting 200 miles of range and will accept a hybrid, plug-in hybrid, or battery electric […]

The post The Story Behind Ford’s Model E Isn’t So S-E-X-Y appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Ford’s Green CO2 Materials Will Reduce Carbon Emissions

Courtney Lepping — Fri, 20 May 2016 20:46:35 +0000

Ford, after working with other companies and universities, is taking the next environmentally-friendly leap to include biomaterials in vehicles. By using excess CO2 to create high-quality plastics and foam, the company will use such materials in vehicle seats and under the hood. The change to green vehicular materials will reduce carbon emissions. 2.4 million pounds […]

The post Ford’s Green CO2 Materials Will Reduce Carbon Emissions appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

MoDo – Ford’s Smart, Folding Electric Bike

Mila Luleva — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 13:47:10 +0000

Ford has introduced a new generation of smart folding e-bicycle, which is believed to provide the missing link between the different means of public transport. Busy lifestyles, daily commutes, and numerous other excuses that people find so that they can justify sitting behind the wheel, result in long traffic lines and delays, toxic emissions, and thus heart […]

The post MoDo – Ford’s Smart, Folding Electric Bike appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Tomato-Powered Heinz and Ford Make Tomato-Based Bioplastics for Lighter Vehicles

Mila Luleva — Sun, 15 Jun 2014 09:06:37 +0000

Heinz, the famous company, whose products make it to (almost) every single barbeque party, is now teaming up with Ford, the company, whose cars are present at (almost) every single junction, to make bioplastics. The tomato ketchup makers will give the input material, which is the unwanted tomato skin leftovers from the production process, while […]

The post Tomato-Powered Heinz and Ford Make Tomato-Based Bioplastics for Lighter Vehicles appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

New EV Battery Lab Getting Built by Ford and University of Michigan

Mila Luleva — Tue, 15 Oct 2013 15:11:34 +0000

Owning an electric car these days is considered a more of a luxury rather than an environmentally friendly alternative to a conventional diesel-burning vehicle. The main reason for this is the cost, and regardless of how many of us care about environmental pollution and our health, only a limited few can afford a green drive. […]

The post New EV Battery Lab Getting Built by Ford and University of Michigan appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Toyota and Ford Call off Hybrid Vehicle Technology Collaboration

Benji Jerew — Wed, 24 Jul 2013 13:57:10 +0000

Sometimes, in order to develop new automobile technology faster and cheaper, such as hybrid vehicle technology, a couple of automakers may collaborate and share what they learn with each other. Sometimes, these collaborations end with some new vehicle technology, such as the Toyota RAV4 EV that has a Tesla Motors-designed powertrain. Other times, the companies […]

The post Toyota and Ford Call off Hybrid Vehicle Technology Collaboration appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Ford Says Their Regenerative Brakes Have Saved 100 Million Gallons of Gas Since the 90’s

Ovidiu Sandru — Sun, 16 Jun 2013 05:51:39 +0000

I’ve been writing on this blog for more than 5 years, but so far didn’t know Ford actually put regenerative braking into cars before the Prius had even been on the drawing table (disclaimer: I don’t work for them, nor have an advertisement deal with them). They now brag with their regen braking systems of […]

The post Ford Says Their Regenerative Brakes Have Saved 100 Million Gallons of Gas Since the 90’s appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

MG Launching Small Turboboosted Engines for Fuel Efficiency and Power

Benji Jerew — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 15:56:56 +0000

There are a number of ways to increase fuel efficiency, turboboosting, as used in the new Ford EcoBoost engine lineup, adds power, but also reduces fuel consumption. It may seem counterintuitive to make an engine more powerful to reduce fuel consumption, but it all depends on when you add that power. Adding cylinders and displacement […]

The post MG Launching Small Turboboosted Engines for Fuel Efficiency and Power appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Ford and MIT Developing Ultra-Efficient EV Cabin Heater/Cooler

Ovidiu Sandru — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 07:48:08 +0000

Cooling or heating an electric car’s cabin can prove a difficult task from an energy efficiency standpoint. To tackle this issue, MIT researchers and Ford have developed a “thermal battery” system that’s far more advanced than what car makers use today. For example, a Tesla Model S driven by a NY Times reporter, John Broder, […]

The post Ford and MIT Developing Ultra-Efficient EV Cabin Heater/Cooler appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

GM & Ford’s Ten-Speed Transmissions to Increase Fuel Economy

Benji Jerew — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 16:34:02 +0000

More gears in a transmission does two things, smooths out shifting during acceleration and increases fuel economy, which is sorely needed in tomorrow’s automobiles. Since 2002, Ford Motor Company and General Motors have partnered to develop and manufacture six-speed automatic transaxles for their front-wheel drive vehicles. Some eight million vehicles have been sold with the […]

The post GM & Ford’s Ten-Speed Transmissions to Increase Fuel Economy appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Ford App Developer Contest to Improve Fuel Economy

Benji Jerew — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 03:49:00 +0000

Fuel economy is one of the biggest sellers of vehicles today, but driver habit is probably more of a factor than the vehicle itself. We’ve all heard “your mileage may vary,” because it depends on much more than the vehicle itself. Without hypermiling, most drivers epect to achieve fuel economy fairly close to what the […]

The post Ford App Developer Contest to Improve Fuel Economy appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Electrified Vehicles 25% of Ford’s Sales by 2020

Benji Jerew — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 19:15:26 +0000

With the adoption of increasingly strict emissions laws, automakers are turning to electrified vehicles to push emissions down and increase fuel efficiency. According to the recent Corporate Average Fuel Economy [CAFE] laws passed in November, automakers will have to be producing vehicles that emit no more than 163g/mi of carbon dioxide. If this were to […]

The post Electrified Vehicles 25% of Ford’s Sales by 2020 appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Daimler Partners Ford and Nissan to Develop Hydrogen Vehicles

Benji Jerew — Tue, 29 Jan 2013 08:19:05 +0000

Hydrogen vehicles are more than just a dream that won’t die, but are getting closer to production than ever before. Hydrogen just could be the perfect fuel, and advances in production of hydrogen as well as hydrogen fuel cell [HFC] technology have made it possible to realize a clean transportation future. Just last week, Toyota […]

The post Daimler Partners Ford and Nissan to Develop Hydrogen Vehicles appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

New Resin from BASF Used in Ford Vehicles, Saves Tons of CO2

Benji Jerew — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 18:47:13 +0000

Who knew that a little piece of plastic could do so much? The Ford Fusion Hybrid, like all other vehicles, makes use of plastics in many parts of the car, from bumper covers to dash overlays, as well as switch housings. When plastics are in full view of the driver, finish becomes an important aspect […]

The post New Resin from BASF Used in Ford Vehicles, Saves Tons of CO2 appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

GM and Ford Announcing Open Platforms for In-Car App Development

Benji Jerew — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 18:03:52 +0000

Ford and General Motors [GM] are following the infotainment revolution and working to take the lead. Modern automakers are integrating more mobile apps into their vehicles, mostly for audio streaming, and GPS-based local searches, as well as navigation add-ons. For the most part, though, there isn’t too much past these, and there are no other […]

The post GM and Ford Announcing Open Platforms for In-Car App Development appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Strange Bedfellows: USDA and Automotive Industry Pair to Develop Biobased Automobile Parts

Leigh Hutchens — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 07:50:27 +0000

Recently, a $10 million bioproduct and biofuel research project aimed to change the automotive industry was begun by the US Department of Agriculture. While seemingly strange bedfellows, the USDA actively tries to help the agriculture industry develop new markets, and the automobile industry is using more bioplastics and biobased materials. The ultimate goal of the […]

The post Strange Bedfellows: USDA and Automotive Industry Pair to Develop Biobased Automobile Parts appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Are Ford’s New Hybrids Failing to Deliver Economy?

Benji Jerew — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 07:39:30 +0000

With all the hype on the increased fuel efficiency of vehicles being released these days, it’s good to see that they are living up to the high expectations drivers have come to acquire. Unfortunately, sometimes it turns out to be just that, hype. In light of recent federal investigations of manufacturers overestimating their fuel economy, […]

The post Are Ford’s New Hybrids Failing to Deliver Economy? appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

World’s Most Important Automakers Set Standard for EV Charging

Ovidiu Sandru — Fri, 04 May 2012 09:28:31 +0000

A new agreement between the world’s most important automakers regarding the standardization of electric vehicle charging systems has been announced on Thursday. The new standard is meant to speed up charging and make it more safe. The new charging system will be on display at this year’s Electric Vehicle Symposium and has been adopted by […]

The post World’s Most Important Automakers Set Standard for EV Charging appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Ford E-bike Concept Unveiled at Frankfurt Motor Show

Ovidiu Sandru — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 14:39:35 +0000

For the first time in its 108 years of existence, Ford announces an electric bike (still in the concept phase, though) for the masses. Well, I don’t know which masses Ford is thinking of, exactly, because from what I’ve seen so far, the Audi e-bike seems a bit expensive for some bikers. The Ford E-bike […]

The post Ford E-bike Concept Unveiled at Frankfurt Motor Show appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Ford Giving Up on EVs? Not Quite, But They Focus on All Kinds of Technologies

Ovidiu Sandru — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 14:16:53 +0000

One of the many things I learned in life is that people lose their dreams and never see them fulfilled just because they give up. So is the case with Ford, it seems, who is apparently a little circumspect at which technology to follow... at least for a while.

The post Ford Giving Up on EVs? Not Quite, But They Focus on All Kinds of Technologies appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Ford to Introduce Start-Stop Mechanism to Conventional Cars in North America Starting 2012

Ovidiu Sandru — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 19:38:36 +0000

Just like you see all the latest automotive technologies applied to high-end class Mercedes cars, the newest innovations in the field of electric cars of a few years ago start to show up in "regular" automobiles, to reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

The post Ford to Introduce Start-Stop Mechanism to Conventional Cars in North America Starting 2012 appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Ford Estimating 25% of Their Fleet to be Electric or Hybrid by 2020

Cristi — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 19:52:42 +0000

Ford recently disclosed their long term plan coming to align with governmental laws related with fuel efficiency: by 2020, at least 25% of Ford's new cars will be either electric or hybrid vehicles. In North America, 7 of 10 vehicles will be gasoline-electric hybrids, such as the current Fusion hybrid version.

The post Ford Estimating 25% of Their Fleet to be Electric or Hybrid by 2020 appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Ford Transit Connect the Electric Compact Van Goes on the US Market in 2010

Cristi — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:03:10 +0000

Ford Motor Co announced the collaboration with Smith Electric Vehicles on their first electric vehicle which will be released on the US market by 2010. The electric car will be based on Ford Transit Connect compact van.

The post Ford Transit Connect the Electric Compact Van Goes on the US Market in 2010 appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Ford hybrid and electric cars vs GM Volt electric car

Florin — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 19:52:56 +0000

Nowadays, the Japanese constructors are well ahead others in having electric cars. Honda and Toyota have the dominating positions in our top and they are announcing more to come in the following year. US manufacturers are late, one probable reason was that in the US the fuel price is not as high as in other parts of the globe.

The post Ford hybrid and electric cars vs GM Volt electric car appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Ford’s Electric Vehicle Plans Unveiled at NAIAS in Detroit

Cristi — Tue, 13 Jan 2009 14:35:29 +0000

North American International Auto Show in Detroit brought in sight several car companies interested in hybrid and electric cars. Ford Motor Co in planning by 2011 to implement fully electric cars that have an autonomy of at least 160 km on a single charge. Ford will also offer gas-electric hybrid cars by 2012.

The post Ford’s Electric Vehicle Plans Unveiled at NAIAS in Detroit appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Ford & GM to Share the Same Hybrid Powertrain Platform

Ovidiu Sandru — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 09:44:53 +0000

A story in Detroit News says that Ford and GM will unite forces to share the E-Flex powertrain technology that powers their Volt.

The post Ford & GM to Share the Same Hybrid Powertrain Platform appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

The 2007 Ford Escape Hybrid Test Drive

Ovidiu Sandru — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 13:32:14 +0000

by automedia.com Ford may not have been first to market with a fuel-efficient hybrid vehicle, but it was first with a full-hybrid SUV. The 2007 Ford Escape Hybrid is also the first American-made hybrid. Launched two years ago, the Escape Hybrid-also the first full hybrid offering four-wheel drive-was named North American Truck of the […]

The post The 2007 Ford Escape Hybrid Test Drive appeared first on The Green Optimistic.

Ford Th!nk – pretty small electric car

Ovidiu Sandru — Wed, 06 Feb 2008 13:58:54 +0000

Ford Motor Company is taking a major step to jump-start the development of affordable small electric vehicles, and that step is catching the eye of drivers around the world. Ford has purchased majority interest in Norwegian-based PIVCO Industries, the manufacturer of the two-passenger TH!NK electric city car. TH!NK is hard not to notice because of […]

The post Ford Th!nk – pretty small electric car appeared first on The Green Optimistic.