Ford's Tesla challenge

Ford Motor Co. may have initially been coy about producing a 200-plus mile Electric Vehicle, but appear to be doing a U-turn. When questioned about adding an EV to compete with the likes of the Tesla Model 3, Ford CEO Mark Fields said they want to be “among the leaders or in a leadership position”, in terms of long-range, battery-powered cars. “Clearly that’s something we’re developing for,” Fields said. Top executives have previously been vague about that possibility, but such a vehicle is expected to be on the assembly line in 2019 and called the ‘Model E’ – Ford has a pending trademark on the name. Research firm AutoForecast Solutions claims that it would be a traditional hybrid, plug-in hybrid or EV. It was last December that Fields announced Ford was spending US$4.5bn to add 13 hybrids or EVs to its range by 2020. In its current line-up, the Focus Electric has a 76-mile range.