Most vehicles in 2050 will need to be electric

By 2050, most vehicles will need to be electrically propelled, with a battery to store energy or an on-board hydrogen fuel cell to generate electricity, if emission targets set by governments are to be met. 

That is the conclusion of a team responsible for penning Towards Sustainable Road Transport published by Elsevier. 

Ford begins ‘full electric’ vehicle production

Ford Motor Company has begun a ‘new chapter’ in its vehicle manufacturing history with the start of production of the all-new Ford Focus Electric – the first full-electric vehicle to be built by Ford in Europe.

The zero-emission Focus Electric is spearheading Ford's line-up of electrified and ‘highly fuel-efficient vehicles’. It will be joined in Europe by the Ford C‑MAX Energi plug-in hybrid electric vehicle next year, followed by the all-new Ford Mondeo Hybrid soon after.

Developed as a "One Ford" global vehicle, the Focus Electric is said to feature an advanced electric motor and lithium-ion battery powertrain that produces 145PS and achieves a top speed of 84 mile/h.

RAM diesel to spark pick-up truck battle

CHRYSLER’S long-held plan to launch its Ram 1500 half-ton truck with a VM Motori V6 diesel engine could well spark both Ford and General Motors to do the same.

Chrysler dealt the first blow in a new pick-up truck battle the North American International Auto (NAIA) Show in Detroit on 14 January when it launched the Jeep Grand Cherokee equipped with a 3-litre V6 EcoDiesel. It has since been forced to confirm the same V6 EcoDiesel will become available in 2014 model year Ram 1500 pick-up trucks from July this year.

Ram is the first brand to announce a diesel engine in the critical half-ton pick-up truck sector, throwing down new competitive benchmarks in fuel economy, CO2 emissions, driving range and torque. The Ram 1500 is the standard-duty version of the well-known pick-up truck that won the 2013 Motor Trend Truck of the Year Award.

If Ford and GM now follow suit, then this could not only boost diesel activity in North America, but make waves in the foundry supply industry, as all three engines most likely will use compacted graphite iron (CGI) as the material of choice for cylinder blocks.