Ford working on lighter second-generation HySeries drive vehicles
Click on the HySeries Edge for a high-res gallery from our visit to Ford
When Ford unveiled its Airstream concept at the Detroit Auto Show in January of this year it was largely overshadowed by the Chevrolet Volt. This was unfortunate for Ford because in many respects the two vehicles were very similar with both featuring plug-in series hybrid drivetrains. Aside from the fuel cell versus internal combustion engine range extenders there was one other very important difference to Ford's program: they actually had a true running prototype almost two months before they showed the concept.
For some reason they chose to hold back the public display of the Hyseries Drive Edge until later in January at the Washington DC auto show. By the time we got to drive the Edge in February it had already accumulated over 5,000 miles in regular driving, much of it on public roads. When we spoke to engineering manager Mujeeb Ijaz he told us one of the issues with the vehicle was the weight. The Edge is already hefty at over 4,300lbs and the modifications added 1,000 lbs to that. Ford was already hard at work on the second generation HySeries vehicle which would address the weight and it looks like they will be making changes like aluminum body panels and adjustments to the packaging all in the name of reducing fuel consumption, cost and mass.
With Ford's recent announcement of a partnership with Southern California Edison to test plug-in hybrids, Ford wants to apply the lessons they have already learned from the Edge to bringing plug-in hybrids to market. With all the work they've done it would be a shame if they don't manage to do it before their publicly stated goal of 2015.
Gallery: Ford Sustainable Mobility Test Lab
[Source: Verdict on Cars]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Chris M 9:46PM (8/03/2007)
With that weight, it's no wonder that it has such anemic acceleration and top speed. I agree that weight reduction is essential. Maybe they should consider a different platform - Lotus has a very light SUV prototype, the APX, that would be a better platform and it is available.
Another way they could save weight and cost is to replace the fuel cell and heavy H2 tank with a petrol or diesel range extender generator.
They are planning this for 2015-2017? Several companies plan to market plug-ins well before then. They'd better pick up the pace, or they'll be late for the party.
Reply
Robert 1:25PM (8/06/2007)
Well, when Ford launched the plug-in Escape with Edison they said 5-10 years. I would assume that if a battery shows up that can actually work in a plug-in situation around 2010, they will be ready to go by 2012-2013. The Volt, for all the hype, won't debut without a battery, and they probably won't have one until 2010. I don't expect a Volt until 2011 at the earliest. The plug-in Prius is having similar problems, and I wouldn't expect a "good" plug-in Prius until 2011/2012 as well. I could imagine Toyota launching one with a NiMH battery just to be the first, but at a great cost to range, performance and durability. They won't be that late even if they hit the 2013-2015 timeframe. 2017 might be a bit late, though.
Ford has extensive engineering experience in aluminum (Jag/LR), so I would expect them to draw on that. This is also probably part of a bigger effort announced at the press drive of the 2008 models to lower the weight of their cars across the line to save gas.
Reply