Ford plans five electric cars, wants technology to improve
US auto giant Ford Motor said it was on track to deliver five electric cars in Europe over the next five years but warned the technology needed to improve dramatically for the market to expand.
"We've got the capability to proliferate further if we think the demand is there," Stephen Odell, chairman and CEO of Ford Europe, told AFP at the Paris Motor Show.
But he said that he believed that even 10 years from now, most cars would still be running on diesel or petrol engines.
"Frankly the technology needs to get better, with a longer range ... and the cost has got to come down. And there's the infrastructure -- where are you going to charge your car?" he asked.
"If it takes 14 or 15 hours to charge your car that means you can't use it every day," said Odell, whose company was presenting the new Ford Focus range at the Paris show.
Range is another issue, he said.
"The maximum range you can get on most electric vehicles at the moment is probably about 100 kilometres (62 miles), which sort of restricts you to your journey to and from work," said Odell.
(c) 2010 AFP
