Ford's EV Partners: Smith Out, Azure In

By Jeff St. John

Ford Motor Co. (F) has changed up its partners on developing its Transit Connect electric van, ending its work with Smith Electric Vehicles to switch to Azure Dynamics Corp., it announced Friday.

But that hasn't changed Ford's timeline for getting the electric van to market by 2010, to be followed by an electric Focus in 2011 and a plug-in hybrid of yet-undetermined model in 2012, the automaker said (see Ford Deploys Electric-Car-to-Grid Communication System).

Smith and Ford say they mutually agreed to end their partnership. Smith said the move would allow it to concentrate on making its electric Newton trucks, according to a statement from its U.K.-based parent company, The Tanfield Group.

Smith got a $10 million Department of Energy grant for its Newton trucks, as well as $4.5 million in orders through the US Clean Cities Program, and started producing vehicles at its Kansas City, Mo. plant this month.

Tanfield also announced that Smith would work with military and commercial vehicle maker AM General to develop all-electric post office delivery trucks.

Mich.-based Azure Dynamics, for its part, has turned to Johnson Controls-Saft for the lithium-ion battery cells and packs for the Transit Connect. Both Azure and Ford

Ford will continue to work with The Tanfield Group in Europe.

Comments

[a. palmer jr.:]

Too bad Smith broke off with Ford. An American automaker could really show them how to spend money. I guess it could have been worse for Smith, they could have partnered with GM!

Nov 01 09:01 AM

[jerrydd:]

This is a big plus for Azure and SAFT is an excellent battery designer/ builder.
.
The Transit is going to be a huge hit for commercial customer though there is a passenger version. It also will make a very low running cost Taxi. With it and the Focus EV coming just as oil hits $130-150/bbl again, they along with Nissan who already has orders in for 100k EV's, both of which can ramp up quickly to meet this market vs other car companies that can't, means they will be good investments.

Ford's other hybrids and Eco-Boost engines and higher mpg conventional vehicles too make it a company ready for the future market ramp up. There is a large pent up demand for replacement cars as the vehicle fleet gets older and Ford is set to deliver the right vehicles for it just in time including several plug in hybrids.

GM has little like the Volt which won't be ready for any kind of numbers for 3 yrs and too expensive.

Nov 01 10:01 AM

[David Haughton:]

this deal has been in the wings for awhile, I think. Azure's big new plant is a only a few doors down from the new Saft plant in Mich. Azd has done their research and testing over the years so they're ready for this deal. I just wish I had bought more stock last week. The best thing about this is it will bring much needed jobs to the US, thank God, they need them. I'm a carpenter and the Transit C is tempting me, can't wait to test drive one.

Nov 01 03:28 PM

[Doug Korthof:]

Saft-JCI sucks, but Smith has an even WORSE prospect. Ford is flopping around, thinking it's going to re-invent the wheel. We all think Smith's on life support, with a stupid battery choice; JCI screwed up Optima, and Saft makes shitty NiMH because it's stuck on old technology.

Ford is putting its head on the chopping block, if it's serious about EVs; probably, it's not serious, all for show.

Nov 01 03:50 PM

[jerrydd:]

Doug, are you a flack for the oil or car industry? Almost everything you say is completely wrong on batteries and now on car companies. While I agree JCI isn't the best, SAFT is excellent and they are doing Lithium here. Ford will keep JCI inline or will fire them.

Ford's earning today shows how wrong you are. And their practical way of doing EV's will bring many of them and PHEV's , Hybrids that can be ramped up fast to meet the large market that will happen when the economy recovers and oil spikes again as it will.

Nov 02 09:19 PM