General Electric (NYSE: GE) will buy 2,000 of Ford’s (NYSE: F) C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrids for its company fleet. Ford, in turn, will jointly market GE’s alternative fuel solutions to customers and provide new unconventional fuel vehicles for GE’s Vehicle Innovation Center.
Jointly, GE and Ford will also work with Georgia Institute of Technology researchers to analyze and collect data on GE’s fleet for further refinement. GE has a stated commitment to converting half of its global fleet to unconventional fuel vehicles. With the Ford deal, GE crosses 5,000 count (it’s target is 25,000 unconventional fuel vehicles). So far, these vehicles have seen over 18 million miles, with nearly $2 million in gasoline cost savings and around 12 million pounds less CO2 emissions.
From DailyFinance:
Mark Vachon, GE Vice President of ecomagination, said, “We are focused on providing our customers and our fleet with more economically and environmentally efficient vehicles. The Ford C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid is a great addition to our expanding fleet of alternative fuel vehicles.”
The Energi offers 21 miles on an electric charge, 108 mpg city EPA rating, and a total driving range of 620 miles on a single tank. Ford will be promoting GE’s WattStation charging station and CNG in a Box heavily toward commercial customers. The WattStation relies on smart grid tech to reduce vehicle charge times, while CNG in a Box is a fully-integrated CNG fueling supply system that provides vastly simplified options for retail fueling stations.
In addition, Ford will provide new unconventional fuel vehicles to GE’s Vehicle Innovation Center where commercial customers get to know what’s on the cutting edge of alternative fuels and vehicles. Georgia Institute of Tech gets involved when GE employee driving and charging habits are analyzed over time, with a view toward improving efficiency and streamlining the whole infrastructure.
