Ford Motor Company is using the Internet and wireless technology to speed up testing and refinement of advanced lithium-ion battery systems which will be powering their upcoming plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles.

Ford is making rapid progress due to their two monitoring methods which allow their engineers to collect real-time performance data from the batteries in the lab as well as those on vehicles in the field via a secure Internet server. This allows for wireless updates to system software and improves capability and durability. This method of collecting data reduces test-fleet downtime and has allowed Ford to more than double their battery lab-testing capabilities.

As stated in a press release by Ford, “Remote monitoring allows us to access real-time data and make continuous improvements very quickly,” said Sherif Marakby, Ford director, Electrification Program and Engineering. “This degree of efficiency would have been unthinkable a few years ago and will help Ford bring more fuel-efficient, low-emission vehicles to market more quickly than ever before.”

Ford plans on launching two zero-emission all-electric vehicles soon. The Transit Connect Electric light commercial van plans to be released in North America later this year and in Europe sometime next year. The Focus Electric passenger car is planned to be released in North America in 2011 and Europe the following year in 2012. Ford plans on launching two next-generation hybrid electric vehicles as well as a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle in North America in 2012 and then in Europe in 2013.

The new hybrid and electronic vehicles made by Ford will be using the new lithium-ion battery systems. These batteries offer almost twice the energy content as the nickel-metal-hydride systems that are used now, and they take up less space inside of the vehicle. Ford is doing rigorous testing with these batteries and are “focusing on lithium-ion technology’s ability to recharge under a range of conditions including state of charge (from empty to full), battery age (from new to old) and environmental temperatures (from freezing cold to scorching hot).”

Once they can understand how the lithium-ion battery performs under different conditions, they will be able to control algorithms which allow quick and efficient recharging of the batteries while also minimizing cell deterioration and maximize the battery’s life.

All of this testing is being put to good use. As stated in the press release, “System-specific engineers are notified via email whenever these software update opportunities occur, based on adaptive event monitoring that can detect conditions of interest and automatically collect relevant data. This method has already led to at least 20 major design improvements for Ford’s future plug-in hybrid and all-electric vehicles.”