GM thinks that it has learned the lesson not to fall behind on technology and won't make that same mistake again. It's for this reason that the Volt is such a big deal for the automaker. Depending on how the next few years play out, though, we will either look back on Ford and realize just how smart the company was or just how deeply its head was stuck in the sand. It seems that Ford believes it has a solid position in hybrid technology and doesn't see an immediate need to be a leader in the development of a plug-in.

Instead, the Blue Oval is content to sit back and let cross-town rival GM and Toyota take the lead. In the meantime, Ford will continue to churn out hybrid versions of its Escape SUV and will introduce a new Fusion hybrid shortly. Hopefully, Ford will be able to play catch-up if the PHEV technology proves popular, otherwise, it could find itself in the same position as GM currently finds itself: as a technology-laggard.

[Source: Bloomberg]

On Monday July 9, the CEOs from Ford and Edison International are scheduled to make an announcement about a plug-in hybrid project. Although no further details are available right now, it seems likely that Ford will supply some plug-in hybrid vehicles for Southern California Edison to test in their service area. We'll keep you posted as information becomes available.

[Source: Reuters via Hugg, thanks to Linton for the tip]

Click on the image for a gallery of high-res photos of the HySeries Drive Edge

At the Washington D.C. Auto Show, Ford unveiled a Ford Edge equipped with the HySeries Drive power-train first shown in the Airstream concept a couple of weeks ago in Detroit. HySeries Drive is a plug-in series hybrid system, that uses a 336V lithium ion battery pack to drive the electric motor. This makes it the world's first drivable hydrogen fuel cell vehicle with plug-in capability. The full range of the Edge on battery and hydrogen is 225 miles with the first 25 available on battery alone, although some drivers have seen as much as 400 miles depending the conditions. They estimate the gasoline equivalent mileage of the HySeries Edge at 41 mpg city/highway combined if you drive the full range. Like the Volt or other plug-in hybrids the effective mileage goes up as the distance you drive goes down.

The vehicle features the latest generation Ballard Power Systems fuel cell stack. Unlike the fuel cells used in the Focus FCV, this one is capable of operating at cold temperatures down to -20C. The HySeries Drive Edge is being used to prove out the new drive-train concept. Similar to what GM has done with E-Flex, the Edge system is designed to allow flexibility in replacing the power systems. They could easily swap out the fuel cell stack for gas or diesel engines or even more batteries. Ford has spent the weekend the shuttling Capital Hill staffers around in the new Edge and in the very near future AutoblogGreen will be bringing you a full driving impression of the HySeries Drive Edge. In the meantime the Ford press release is after the jump, and gallery of high res images can be found by clicking on the image above.



[Source: Ford]

Ford's director of hybrid programs, Nancy Gioia delivered a speech at the Automotive News World Congress, in Dearborn and revealed that Ford is considering building a plug-in hybrid vehicle. So far, Ford's hybrid efforts have been limited to the Escape/Mariner/Tribute, although a Fusion hybrid is under development and should be available some time in 2008.

As usual, the main problem is the battery. According to Gioia, the extra cost of the lithium ion battery could be prohibitive unless additional tax credits are made available. A LiIon battery is a necessity in order to get sufficient range to justify the extra complexity of the plug-in architecture. Ford showed a plug-in series hybrid, the Airstream concept at the Detroit Auto Show although, unlike the Chevy Volt, it uses a hydrogen fuel cell instead of an internal combustion engine.

A Ford spokesman confirmed that Ford has been actively testing a variety of plug-in hybrid vehicles with different configurations and platforms for some time including the HyDrive system that underpins the Airstream concept. However, until a suitable battery can be found, Ford won't be committing to a production date or platform.

[Source: Automotive News - subscription required]