Contrary to some of its chief rivals, Ford Motor Co. doesn’t expect the market for all-electricor plug-in hybrid vehicles to begin to ramp up beyond small demonstration fleets for at least five years. AutoTech Daily reports that the company also says it could take until the end of next decade before large sales volumes are achieved.
 
Nancy Gioia, Ford's director of sustainable mobility technologies and hybrid vehicle programs, tells Reuters the company will wait until the technology is ready for large mass market applications before commercializing it. She notes that improvements still are needed for next-generation batteries to enable them to last 10 years and 150,000 miles. Otherwise, Gioia points out, battery replacement costs will exceed a vehicle’s residual value a few years after it’s purchased.

Gioia’s assessment is in line with the five-to-10-year timeline for plug-ins that Ford CEO Alan Mulally laid out a year ago. In contrast, General Motors Corp. is moving forward with its much-hyped plan to launch the Chevrolet Volt plug-in by 2010. That vehicle will use a small combustion engine to partially recharge its battery.

Meanwhile, Ford is testing 20 plug-in versions of its Escape Hybrid SUV as part of a partnership with the Electric Power Research Institute, which represents utilities that generate more than 90 percent of the power in the United States. The program is expected to run three years.