I found two interesting video interviews with Bill Ford that are applicable to recent articles on this site regarding electric vehicle technologies.  Ever since Berkshire Hathaway announced its investment in BYD, I have tried to follow developments in the industry.  BYD’s new e6 electric car appears to be a breakthrough in terms of performance and range.  Since I posted a number of videos of BYD’s founder Wang Chuanfu, it seems appropriate to post Bill Ford’s view of the industry as well which appears in the videos below.

What I found interesting about the first video is the very different approach Ford is taking toward electric vehicle technology compared to BYD.  While BYD is a vertically integrated manufacturer, Ford is not involved in developing battery technology and instead purchases the batteries from vendors.  While it is too soon to know for certain, BYD’s origin as a battery manufacturer could be a competitive advantage compared to automakers that view batteries as just one component of the vehicle rather than a proprietary technology.

While I am not a Ford shareholder, I do own two Ford vehicles and I tend to be “brand loyal”.  With Ford being the only American automaker that has not yet received government assistance, it would be beneficial for the country and the industry if Ford and BYD both find strategies to succeed in electric vehicle technology.  I suspect that multiple approaches will be attempted before the industry standardizes on a technology for mass production.

Bill Ford on Battery Technology

Here is a link to the video.

Bill Ford on Hydrogen, Hybrid, and Electric Cars

Here is a link to the video.

Alan Mulally on Ford’s Recovery Strategy

Fortune Magazine also ran a very interesting cover story on Alan Mulally’s strategy for Ford in the latest issue which may be of interest to readers.  Here is a video of an interview with Mr. Mulally:

Here is a link to the video.