Mark Fields was quoted:

A recent addition to our demonstration fleet is a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle that is capable of operating on E85. As a leader in both hybrid and flexible fuel technology, Ford is well-positioned to bring the two together in a plug-in vehicle to demonstrate the potential for CO2 reduction and energy security.
We also have many partners on the stage today. I'm pleased to announce that our partner -- Johnson Controls-Saft -- will provide the batteries for our 20-unit fleet of Escape Hybrid Plug-ins. Partnerships and collaboration are critical to bringing emerging technologies from the laboratory onto the street.
source: http://www.detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll...TO01/806110460

The E85 note means a flex fuel capable Escape Hybrid should be avaiable for consumers in the future. Johnson Controls-Saft is a Milwaukee based company where Mary Ann Wright--former Ford Executive of the Escape Hybrid Program--heads the hybrid auto division.

 

You can get ahead of this "game", WELL ahead, by converting your FEH/MMH to run on CNG. PHILL the smallish onboard tank in your own garage at night.

 

Are there any companies offering this for hybrids? I'm thinking the computer control changes would be much trickier than on a standard auto.

 

At NAIAS JCI was hoping to get the contract, so I'm glad they did. I just find it a crime that they didn't get the FEH battery contract in 2007 to get better batteries in the '08's and to offer a retro-upgrade to the older FEHs like they had presented.

BTW, I met with Mary Ann Wright at NAIAS back in January, and had a great, albeit brief, chat with her. LOL, I guess you could call her my hero for all the work she did getting the FEH out there and making it a quality product.

 

Rich, can you provide more details on what Johnson Controls Saft proposed on this retro-upgrade? Would this be replacement of stock OEM hybrid battery with lithium ion batteries?

 

I was asked not to talk about it too much, but in short, when they were testing the FEH Li-Ion batteries, they did a straight conversion, and found that it didn't need the warm up or the cool-off systems that the NiMH did, and without doing any reprogramming got improved fuel economy just on a straight battery swap.

In fact, I was even able to see one of the converted FEHs and the batteries. LOL, I was drooling to say the least; I really wanted to drive that sucker and see what kind of MPG I could get with it.

One of their ideas was to offer a reprogramming with looser settings (no AC in the back, no heat, and greater charge and discharge settings) along with the Li-Ion batteries for improved performance for a modest fee. (Under $3K) They seemed confident it would result in at least a 20% increase in FE for the FEH.

Ford wasn't interested even a little bit in the idea. (In fact, one of the JCI people seemed to imply that one of the Ford people was a little offended by the idea.)

 

I was asked not to talk about it too much, but in short, when they were testing the FEH Li-Ion batteries,

"they did a straight conversion and without doing any reprogramming got improved fuel economy just on a straight battery swap".

Thanks for the input. There are some talented people on this site, "out there" and this provided information will lead to something in the future. Something Joe and Jane Doe can do without purchasing a new vehicle. EnerDel out of Indiana is also making lithium-ion batteries for automobiles and might have the ability to provide "conversion-packs" in the future.

 

In the couple PHEV Lithium packs I've used from Hybrids-Plus...
I used EV as much as possible ( almost full time ) for about 5 hours of continuous driving, and the batteries never got warmer than the ambient temperature of the car. There were not any fans of any type used. A/C to the pack was not even installed... the batteries from A123 have such low resistance, they don't make any measurable heat.

That is the key... internal resistance. It is the resistance in ohms, not the amps per se, that makes heat.