Ford chooses JCS as battery supplier for its U.S. electric rechargeable hybrid vehicles

Ford Motor Company gives to Johnson Controls-Saft (JCS) a contract to supply batteries for its first rechargeable electric hybrid vehicle. It is Ford’s first production plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) beginning in 2012. Also, seven regional electric utility partners are joining Ford and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) to conduct real-world tests on an expanding fleet of Ford Escape PHEVs.

Johnson Controls-Saft battery system will provide the first comprehensive rechargeable hybrid vehicle into series production by Ford Motor Company, whose launch is planned for 2012. Ford has announced that contract at the motor show in Washington.

It's a great day for the U.S. auto industry, said Alex Molinaroli, President of the Power Solutions division of Johnson Controls. Today, virtually all batteries for hybrid vehicles are manufactured abroad. While the United States are putting up a production infrastructure for the construction of hybrid and electric vehicles, this contract represents a major step forward for the U.S. industry. "

Rechargeable hybrid vehicles can store more electrical energy than current hybrid vehicles. They work more often in electric mode and over greater distances, allowing them to achieve an estimated 60 to 100% fuel economy. Thus, thanks to its rechargeable battery into a standard 120 volts, the car can travel 40 miles (65 km) in all-electric mode.

The battery is the core of hybrid electric vehicles, said Nancy Gigi, Program Director of hybrid vehicles Ford Motor Company. Johnson Controls-Saft is a leading specialist in the design of lithium-ion batteries for a new generation of individual transportation.

Ford is providing Escape PHEVs for real world road testing to its new research and utility partners around the country, including:

New York Power Authority
Consolidated Edison of New York
American Electric Power of Columbus, Ohio
Alabama Power of Birmingham, Ala.; and its parent, Atlanta-based Southern Company
Progress Energy of Raleigh, N.C.
DTE Energy of Detroit
National Grid of Waltham, Mass.
New York State Energy and Research Development Authority, a state agency.

Ford formed its first utility partnership with Southern California Edison in 2007.

The battery packs are to be designed and manufactured by Johnson Controls-Saft. The packs, including cells, mechanical, electrical, electronic and thermal components, will be assembled in the United States. Initially, the cells will be produced at the Johnson Controls-Saft production facility in Nersac, France. Johnson Controls-Saft will also utilize its 58,000 square-foot Battery Technology Center in Milwaukee, the largest and most sophisticated automotive battery research and development facility in the United States, including cell design, system engineering, testing and integration.

According to Mary Ann Wright, Director of the joint venture Johnson Controls-Saft, the partnership between Ford and Johnson Controls-Saft demonstrates that the United States are already positioned to occupy first place in the development of hybrid and electric vehicles. "Ford and Johnson Controls are two long-standing U.S. companies, and along with Saft who has extensive lithium-ion manufacturing capability and experience in the U.S., we are committed to re-building our domestic manufacturing base and to the ongoing investment in critical technology for the United States."

Johnson Controls-Saft is presently partnering with Ford, as well as Southern California-Edison (SCE) and Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), on a 20-vehicle test fleet of PHEVs to demonstrate the capability of PHEVs as part of a complete vehicle, home and grid energy system. Data from this demonstration fleet will be used to support the PHEV production program.

The five-year supply agreement includes delivery of battery packs for committed production in 2012 with a target of five thousand units per year, with the potential to ramp up to meet customer demand.

About Ford

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Michigan, United States, manufactures or distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents. With about 230,000 employees and about 100 plants worldwide, the company's core and affiliated automotive brands include Ford, Lincoln, Mercury, Volvo and Mazda. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information about Ford's products, please visit http://www.ford.com.

About Johnson Controls-Saft

Johnson Controls-Saft is a joint venture that has brought together Johnson Controls -- the world's leading supplier of automotive batteries and a company deeply experienced in integrated automotive systems solutions - with Saft, an advanced energy storage solutions provider with extensive Li-ion battery expertise. Visit: http://www.saftbatteries.com/