The entire automotive industry is making diligent transitions to all-electric vehicle production, but Ford leads the pack in innovative research. They’re the only company with the results of a innovative new study. The company’s researchers found that changing to an electric vehicle resulted in great reductions for the total tonnage of emissions produced as the vehicle size increased. The study highlights that this is due to greater fuel consumption from larger-classed vehicles.
Ford’s research begged the question: what would greater pickup truck electrification mean for decarbonization across the transportation industry?
Partnering with the University of Michigan, Ford’s researchers tried to answer this question and evaluated the greater efficiency in greenhouse gas emissions compared to the combustion-powered pickup trucks. The study was officially published online on March 1 in the journal Environmental Research Letters.
The study also included a cradle-to-grave life cycle evaluation for pickup trucks and compared the dynamics of pickup truck electrification to those of sedan and SUV electrification.
To better understand how vehicles were contributing greenhouse gas emissions, the partnership’s researchers assessed three different model year 2020 powertrain options—internal-combustion-engine vehicles, hybrid-electric vehicles, to better account for differences in fuel economy, yearly mileage, vehicle production, and vehicle lifetime averages.
“This study can help us to understand the potential impact of electrification from an emissions-reduction perspective, particularly as we introduce new electric vehicles, and how we can continue to accelerate our progress towards carbon neutrality. We’re proud to partner with U-M in this critical work,” said Cynthia Williams, global director of sustainability, homologation and compliance at Ford.
Researchers also found that BEV manufacturing had larger emissions rates than ICE vehicle manufacturing. Battery-electric sedans had a breakeven time of 1.2 to 1.3 years, while SUVs sat at 1.4 to 1.6 years, and pickups sat at 1.3 years, based on the average U.S. grid and vehicle miles traveled, the study said.
With cutting-edge all-electrical models already available, Ford is one of the most committed automotive companies in terms of transitioning to electrification. The Mustang Mach-E, which hit the market first for Ford, has already become one of the best-selling EVs in the country. The F-150 Lightning, Ford’s electrified pickup model of its most popular series, is set to begin deliveries this Spring. What’s more, Ford has also started shipping the E-Transit to meet commercial demands, including one 1,110-unit order for Wal-Mart.
