Ford to Lease Advanced Battery EV in California

12 December 1997

    ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 12 -- Ford Motor Company
announced today that it will offer a nickel metal hydride (NiMH) battery
option for its Ranger electric pickup truck in the 1999 model year.
    The NiMH vehicle will be first in California as a test fleet and will be
available beginning in October as a lease option.  The cost of the three-year
lease will be $599 a month.
    "Through the California test program, we can take the next step in EV
battery development and prove out the NiMH technology," said John Wallace,
Ford's director of Alternative Fuel Vehicles.
    With improved driving range over conventional lead acid batteries, the
NiMH vehicle will run nearly 100 miles between charges.  The battery also
features a significantly longer life cycle, offering three times more charge-
discharge cycles than a lead acid battery.  The payload of the NiMH Ranger EV
has increased to 1250 lbs., the same as the standard gasoline-powered Ranger.
    "While the NiMH Ranger EV allows us to provide customers with longer
driving range, there are still many challenges facing the use of nickel metal
hydride technology," said Wallace.  "The major challenge is the very high cost
of the battery system.  We're working hard to balance our customers' needs for
more range with how much they are willing to pay for an electric vehicle with
that range."
    Like the lead acid Ranger EV, the NiMH vehicle will be sold and serviced
through specially trained Ford dealers.  Ford today also announced a new
coast-to-coast network of electric vehicle dealers with locations in Alabama,
Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, New
York, Ohio, Oklahoma and Oregon.

SOURCE  Ford Motor Company