Kudos to the auto industry for opening their patients on EV's to the world--free or for a fee. Sharing the technology, platform, best practice and pushing the industry into more efficient cars is great for consumers and our planet.
Note Ford is hiring 200 new engineers to work on EV's and the related technology (storage, regeneration through braking, etc, adding solar panels to rooftops, etc). We think this is another example of our green economy gearing and growing steadily.
Ford is opening up its electric vehicle patents to competitors — for a fee
Image: Ford
Ford announced this week that it will be licensing its patents through the AutoHarvest Foundation, a nonprofit that allows the auto industry to trade intellectual property amongst itself.
A Ford representative told Automotive News that licensing will cost somewhere between hundreds to thousands of dollars, depending on the patent.
"By sharing our research with other companies, we will accelerate the growth of electrified vehicle technology and deliver even better products to customers."
Tesla CEO Elon Musk made a similar proclamation in a blog post last year when he announced that Tesla would be opening its patents:
"Tesla Motors was created to accelerate the advent of sustainable transport," he said. "If we clear a path to the creation of compelling electric vehicles, but then lay intellectual property landmines behind us to inhibit others, we are acting in a manner contrary to that goal."
Ford currently offers six electrified vehicles —both hybrid and fully electric — and is planning on hiring 200 engineers for further EV development.
Automakers are under a lot of pressure to increase fuel efficiency, and producing more hybrid and pure-electric vehicles is certainly one way to do that. The problem, however, is that electrified vehicles are often expensive and don't offer enough of an advantage over their conventional counterparts.
As Automotive News notes, electric vehicles only made up 1.6% of all U.S. car sales from January to April 2015. The recent trend of low fuel prices are also driving customers away from electrified cars.
But don't think that electric vehicles are a flight of fancy. Fuel-efficiency standards are only getting more stringent, and fuel costs won't stay low forever. Electrification, along with investments in turbocharging, diesel engines and lightweight materials like aluminum and carbon fiber will only become more necessary.
My prediction is that powertrains in the cars of our future will resemble BMW's i8 which uses a very small turbocharged three-cylinder engine. That sends 228 horsepower to the rear wheels. It also comes with an electric motor that directs an additional 129 horsepower to the front wheels.
Heavily turbocharged motors, like the one found in the i8, have a delay in power delivery as the turbocharger spools up (called "turbo lag"). However, the instant torque of the electric motor compensates for that. In addition, the electric motor makes the car even more fuel efficient and allows for a limited range of zero-emissions electric driving.
With big commitments to electrification from Ford, BMW, Tesla and many others, don't be surprised if the car of your future is electrified, too.
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