Exide Technologies (Princeton, NJ) has been selected by Ford Motor Co. (Dearborn, MI) to supply the 12V batteries for the new Ford Focus fuel cell vehicle (FCV). Ford has specified Exide Technologies' Marathon M12V30 battery for the vehicles. The FCV is the first transportation application for the Marathon brand.
"The Exide Technologies Transportation Business Group has been an OE supplier of automotive starting batteries to Ford for 30 years. The FCV marks an important transition for both of our companies in that it expands our relationship," stated Exide Technologies Chairman and CEO Craig Muhlhauser. "Exide's Network Power Business Group, which typically provides backup batteries to the telecom and other industries, will supply its Marathon battery for a Ford passenger vehicle. It's an illustration of how we can serve one customer with a full spectrum of stored electrical-energy technologies for different applications."
The first Ford Focus FCV is scheduled for release in June 2003. The Marathon batteries for the vehicles will be manufactured at the Exide industrial battery manufacturing facility in Columbus, GA.
