August 27th, 2010

Ford's Transit Connect electric small commercial van (Photo: Ford Motor Company)

Ford Motor Company and the City of Seattle today announced they will work together to prepare the city for the operation of electric vehicles. The partnership will include developing consumer outreach and education programs on electric vehicles, as well as information on charging needs and requirements to ensure the electrical grid can support the necessary demand.

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June 15th, 2010

Ford Motor Company cut its global water use by more than 16 percent in 2009 and reduced carbon dioxide emissions of its 2009 model year vehicles for North America by 12 percent, according to the company’s 11th annual sustainability report released today.

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June 3rd, 2010

Ford Motor Company announced it will partnering with Coulomb Technologies to provide free in-home charging stations for some of the automaker’s first electric vehicle customers under the Ford Blue Oval ChargePoint Program.

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February 16th, 2010

From Green Right Now Reports

Ford Motor Company says it will launch a ‘Go Green’ dealership sustainability program. The automaker will collaborate with dealers to implement cost-effective ways to improve the energy-efficiency of their facilities, resulting in a long-term reduction in individual dealership’s carbon footprint as well as overall operating costs.

Ford's "Go Green" program for dealers will be voluntary. (Photo: Ford Motor Company)

The ‘Go Green’ dealership sustainability program, which is voluntary for dealers, was announced at this week’s 2010 National Automobile Dealers Association Convention in Orlando.

“In keeping with Ford’s commitment to the environment, this program is a great fit for our dealers because it provides a variety of energy-efficient improvement options regardless of the current age and design of the facility,” Sue Cischke, Ford’s group vice president of Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering, said in a statement. “This allows all dealers the opportunity to participate in improving the energy efficiency of their facility and gives them flexibility in making choices that are right for them and their dealership.”

The program resulted from Ford’s partnership with Rocky Mountain Institute, a non-profit organization that provides energy-efficiency solutions to businesses, communities and organizations around the world.

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January 11th, 2010

From Green Right Now Reports

U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu today announced $187 million in awards to nine projects aimed at improving the fuel efficiency and emissions of heavy-duty trucks and passenger cars.

Three of the projects focus on trying to improve the efficiency of long-haul freight trucks by at least 50 percent.

Secretary Chu announced the awards in Columbus, Indiana, a state that is increasingly front and center with auto developments, with a firm that makes batteries for electric cars and a city readying a plant for the Finnish electric automaker THINK.

He noted that the development of cleaner engines, more efficient truck systems and improved gas mileage vehicles will help improve the energy security of the nation.

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November 11th, 2009

Ford's Flex uses a new wheat-byproduct in place of plastic. (Photo: Ford Motor Company)

From Green Right Now Reports

Ford Motor Company, working with academic researchers and one of its suppliers, said it is the first automaker to develop and use environmentally friendly wheat straw-reinforced plastic in a vehicle.

The first application of the natural fiber-based plastic that contains 20 percent wheat straw bio-filler is on the 2010 Ford Flex’s third-row interior storage bins, the company said. This application reduces petroleum usage by some 20,000 pounds per year, reduces CO2 emissions by 30,000 pounds per year, and represents a smart, sustainable usage for wheat straw, the waste byproduct of wheat.

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