GE Buys 2,000 Ford Plug-In Hybrids

Dec 19, 2012 10:00 AM ET
Campaign: Energy at GE
Ford CMax Energi Plug-In Hybrid

By BART KING

GE announced a collaboration with Ford in which the company will purchase 2,000 new Ford C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrids for its fleet. As part of the collaboration, Ford will jointly market GE’s alternative fuel infrastructure solutions to commercial customers and provide new alternative fuel vehicles for use at GE’s Vehicle Innovation Center.

The two companies will also collaborate with researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology on data collection and analysis on GE’s fleet in an effort to add greater efficiencies to electric driving and charging.

For GE, the purchase of the 2,000 plug-in vehicles is another step in the company’s commitment to converting half of its global fleet to alternative fuel vehicles. The addition of the Ford vehicles brings the number of alternative fuel vehicles in GE’s fleet to more than 5,000 toward its goal of 25,000 vehicles. To date, GE employees have driven approximately 18 million miles in the company’s alternative fuel vehicles, saving about $2 million in gasoline costs and reducing CO2 emissions by approximately 12 million pounds, the company said.

The Ford C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid provides a 21-mile electric-only range, a 108-mpg city EPA rating and a 620-mile single-tank driving range. GE will begin integrating the Ford C-Max Energi into its fleet this month.

As part of the collaboration, Ford will promote GE’s WattStation charging station and CNG in a Box natural gas fueling station with its commercial customers.

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