US carmaker Ford Motor is planning to invest $135m in its advanced electrification center in Dearborn, Michigan, US for the development of advanced battery systems and associated components for its new hybrid-electric vehicles (EVs).
The investment is expected to double the carmaker's battery-testing capabilities to 160 individual battery-test channels by 2013, in order to increase electrified vehicle development by nearly 25%.
According to Ford, the new 285,000ft2 research and development lab, which has about 1,000 engineers working on hybrid and electrification programmes, will be dedicated to focus on hybrids and electrification programmes.
The expanded capabilities are expected to enable the team to quickly collect, analyze and apply large data as well as modify tests and adapt required alterations whenever required.
The new facility is equipped with specialised machines to test and simulate several measurements including power, performance, long life and thermal behaviours across different temperatures and ambient conditions.
By 2020, the US carmaker is expecting to have 10 to 25% of its global electrified vehicle fleet with plug-in or hybrid technology, with nearly 70% of the fleet to be hybrid, 20-25% to be hybrid-plug-ins, while remaining 5% to remain for EVs.
