Ford's Electric Cars: Same on the Outside, Different Under the Hood

Ford (F) has released some more details of what I think of as its "57 Varieties" approach to electric vehicles. The strategy is for Ford to produce what amounts to the same model with a variety of different engines -- i.e., gasoline, gasoline-electric hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and 100 percent electric.

In other words, it's back to the general-purpose assembly line for the company whose founder may be best known for offering the Model T "painted any colour... so long as it is black."

Many cars, one assembly line
That approach saves Ford lots of money compared to the cost of building a unique auto platform -- and related assembly line -- for each type of engine.

There are other variations on this theme. The battery powered Nissan (NSANY.PK) Leaf, for instance, is a uniquely styled body and alternative powertrain, but Nissan says it's built at a plant that can build several different models without expensive alterations.

The Toyota (TM) Prius hybrid is another example of a unique model with an alternative powertrain. Toyota recently announced that it's creating a family of Prius models with different body styles.

The Ford approach means it will be able to build the battery powered Ford Focus Electric on the same assembly line as the gasoline-powered version. Ford will be able to increase production of one or the other according to consumer demand, without having to make major changes to the factory, Ford CEO Alan Mulally said in an interview earlier this month.

And that's how you get to 5!
Ford has said for a while now it will have five new "electrified" vehicles by 2012, but it's been coy about what those would be. The picture has cleared up a lot in the last few weeks. Here's the rundown on those five models:

1. A battery powered version of the Ford Transit Connect, a small delivery van that's also being offered to consumers. It's already on sale, but in very limited numbers.
2. The Ford Focus Electric, which Ford displayed at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and again at the Detroit auto show last week. The bread-and-butter Ford Focus has a gasoline engine. The Ford Focus Electric goes on sale later this year.
3. The Ford C-Max Hybrid, which has both a gasoline engine and an electric motor. The C-Max is already on sale in Europe with a standard engine. It's sort of a cross between a small minivan and a station wagon. Besides the fact that it's a hybrid, what's new is that it gets a new-generation lithium-ion battery, similar to the batteries found in full-on electric vehicles or laptop computers.
4. The Ford C-Max plug-in hybrid, a production version of the Ford C-Max Energi concept car (pictured) Ford showed at the Detroit auto show last week. The hybrid and plug-in hybrid are expected in 2012.
5. The Ford Fusion Hybrid. There's already a Ford Fusion Hybrid on sale. The next time it's updated, it's a logical candidate to get lithium-ion batteries, also in 2012, but Ford wouldn't confirm that.

Related:

• Behind Ford's Go-it-Slow Approach to Electric Cars
• Electric Vehicles at 2011 CES: Consumer Electronics You Can Get In and Drive
• Green, Global, Groundbreaking: Ford Says Its New Focus Factory Is All That