ORLANDO, Fla., Sept. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Ford Motor Company
(NYSE: F) is handing over the keys to five hybrid hydrogen Ford Focus Fuel
Cell vehicles today as part of a five city 30 car program to conduct real
world testing of fuel cell technology. The Florida Department of
Environmental Protection (DEP) will get three vehicles and Progress Energy
will receive the other two.
The Ford Focus Fuel Cell Vehicle (FCV) represents Ford's commitment to
advancing the use and development of alternative fuel technologies. It is one
of the industry's first hybridized fuel cell vehicles combining the improved
range and performance of hybrid technology with the overall benefits of a fuel
cell.
Ford has been conducting fuel cell research for more than 10 years and
believes fuel cell vehicles could be commercially viable by the middle of the
next decade.
Knowledge gained engineering Ford's Escape Hybrid and Mercury Mariner
Hybrid has been shared between the FCV vehicle engineering team and the people
working on both Ford gasoline powered hybrids on the road today as well as
future gasoline hybrids Ford will sell.
"The engineers who work on the Focus FCV work hand in hand with those
developing our gasoline hybrids," said Mary Ann Wright, director of
Sustainable Mobility Technologies and Hybrid Programs for Ford Motor Company.
"The knowledge we gain by engineering these cars not only benefits our
expertise in innovative fuel cell propulsion technology, it also will help us
deliver even better gasoline hybrids in the near term."
Ford is actively engaged in the development of four promising future
alternatives to today's gasoline engines, including clean diesels, gasoline-
electric hybrids, hydrogen internal combustion engines (H2ICE) and hydrogen
fuel cell vehicles (FCV).
The Focus FCV is the most sophisticated environmental vehicle Ford has
ever developed and its success is an important milestone in Ford's long-term
strategy to move toward hydrogen and alternative-fuel powered cars and trucks
as viable consumer transportation options.
In addition to the FCV demonstration fleet, Ford will support Florida's
hydrogen initiative with the production of eight hydrogen powered shuttle
buses for use in the Orlando area and with Ford's 4.2-liter, V-6 industrial
engine -- converted and calibrated to run on hydrogen -- will power two TUG M1
tow tractors for use at the Orlando International Airport.
SOURCE Ford Motor Company
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Related links:
http://www.ford.com
http://media.ford.com
CONTACT:
Nick Twork of Ford Motor Company,
+1-313-598-0481, ntwork1@ford.com
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