Ford + EnerDel = Failure?
Where does your battery come from?In the future, the US might no longer suffer from foreign oil dependence, but there is every reason to believe that we'll suffer from foreign battery dependence. Can the US auto industry survive and compete if it has to import cost-effective lithium batteries from Asia and Europe - areas that are years ahead of America in both battery R&D and manufacturing capabilities?
Today, there is only one company that has the ability to mass-produce enough lithium batteries for either tens of thousands of EVs or hundreds of thousands of hybrid cars right here in America. Unfortunately, EnerDel can't sign a contract with any of the Big 3 American automakers.
Why? According to Argonne Labs, Enerdel has quality lithium chemistry.
So, why didn't Ford, for example, show some real innovation and produce the Ford Fusion hybrid with lithium batteries from EnerDel, rather than NiMH batteries? Ford has no future with NiMH, so why not take a calculated risk with American-manufactured lithium batteries, especially if you're only going to produce 25,000 of these hybrids per year?
Late next year, Uncle Sam will be doling out $7500 tax credits to Americans that buy plug-in vehicles that might have been made in America, but the most important technology, the battery, was not. Isn't it time to also dole out some credits to push American automakers, such as Ford, into American manufactured lithium batteries for today's hybrids? Isn't there no better time to act than right now?
Labels: hybrid tax credits, Hybrid Vehicles, lithium battery
posted by Dahcredyns at
10:34 AM
4 Comments:
Author said, "Isn't there no better time to act than right now?" Well I'd not disagree. And don't nobody be sayin we are ignernt, neither.
Ford probably did want to find a reliable US battery manufacturer but couldn't wait for a US company to either commit to making them or getting batteries produced quickly enough. I think it's the opposite: U.S. battery manufacturers dropped the ball. Eventhough Ford had been producing Hybrid Escapes for over 5 years no U.S. battery company partnered with Ford.
Thanks Michael. If only I could have been a cartoonist, but my art is worse than my English.
Still, I was trying to be funny. I guess it didn't work.
Nonetheless, I do make make grammatical mistakes, quite often, unfortunately. I don't deny I could use an editor.
Until I can afford one, my primary focus will be on ideas and substance. So I apologize for my offensive grammar now and for the mistakes I'll make in the future.
EnerDel has been building up its US capacity for a few years now, and Ford is only going to make 25,000 Fusion hybrids per year.
So, I'm positive that EnerDel could meet that requirement. In fact, if they partnered with Ford, EnerDel claims it could quickly scale up its production activities to a pace that would enable the battery maker to produce hundreds of thousands of Fusion hybrids.
Also, in terms of US production, EnerDel is really the only US battery company with mass production capabilities.
While much lithium technology was developed in America, it was easier to manufacturer in Asia, especially since US automakers didn't embrace hybrids early on in numbers that could justify US production. Other US battery companies also do most of their lithium production overseas.
I'd imagine that Ford hasn't bought into this 'startups' capabilities thus far. However, considering the importance of the battery to the US auto industry and to US manufacturing, I'd like to see the government try to push such a relationship.
Post a Comment
<< Home