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Ford also opening up EV, hybrid patents, with a price tag

Like Tesla and Toyota before it, Ford is seeing the light when it comes to freeing up alternative powertrain patents. Of course, the Blue Oval does things differently, so free doesn't mean no cost. Instead of making its electric vehicle patents simply available to anyone, Ford is going to sell off its EV tech for an unspecified fee. Ford says it has 650 electrified vehicle patents and another 1,000 or so pending EV tech patent applications. Ford filed 400 such applications last year alone. To buy these patents, interested parties should contact Ford's technology commercialization and licensing office or work AutoHarvest. Or, you know, you could just go get Tesla patents for free. The jury is still out on whether these open patent programs are being used. The Tesla program, for example, didn't seem to be all that exciting to most OEMs right after it was announced. Ford has six vehicles with some sort of electrified powertrain: the Focus Electric, Fusion Hybrid and Energi PHEV, Ford C-MAX Hybrid and Energi plug-in hybrid and the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid. The only full EV in that group, the Focus Electric, starts at $29,995. Ford Opens Portfolio of Patented Technologies to Competitors to Accelerate Industry-Wide Electrified Vehicle Development Ford is opening its portfolio of electrified vehicle technology patents to competitive automakers to accelerate industry-wide research and development of electrified vehicles In 2014, Ford filed for 400-plus electrified vehicle patents – more than 20 percent of the total patents the company applied for last year Ford is set to hire an additional 200 electrified vehicle engineers this year as the team moves into a newly dedicated facility – Ford Engineering Laboratories – home to Henry Ford's first laboratories DEARBORN, Mich., May 28, 2015 – Ford Motor Company is offering competitors access to its electrified vehicle technology patents – a move to help accelerate industry-wide research and development of electrified vehicles. In 2014, Ford filed more than 400 patents dedicated to electrified vehicle technologies. This is more than 20 percent of the patents the company filed – totaling more than 2,000 applications. "Innovation is our goal," said Kevin Layden, director, Ford Electrification Programs. "The way to provide the best technology is through constant development and progress.

Is your new-car warranty good at the race track?

We've all heard the horror stories. Your buddy knows a girl that was dating a guy whose best friend's brother once broke his brand-new, recently purchased performance car while making runs at a drag strip or laps at a track day, and the manufacturer wouldn't cover the repair under warranty. True story? Urban legend? Complete crap? Yes, no, maybe. One thing's for sure: Automotive warranties have always come with caveats. In 1908, an ad in the Trenton Evening Times clearly stated: "All Ford Cars Guaranteed for One Year." Although it changed over time, by 1925 the Ford New Car Guarantee only covered 90 days on material and 30 days on labor, and it clearly stated that that there was "No guarantee whatever on Fan Belts, Glass, Bulbs, Wiring, Transmission, Bands, Hose Connections, Commutator Shells, Rollers, Spark Plugs or Gaskets." Whether or not Ol' Henry would pay to fix your Model T if you broke it shaving a tenth off your lap time at the local board track seems to be lost to history. We're guessing no. But what about today? Do new-car warranties in 2017 cover cars when they are driven on race tracks? We researched the warranties of 14 auto brands to find out, and the answer is yes, no, maybe, depending on the brand, in some cases the model, and whether or not your car is modified from stock. Acura has been out of the high-performance car game for a number of years, but jumps back into the party in 2017 with its hybrid-powered $173,000 NSX supercar. And Acura's warranty, as well as Honda's, clearly states that it does not cover "the use of the vehicle in competition or racing events." View 33 Photos So we asked Sage Marie, Senior Manager of Public Relations for Honda and Acura. "If the car is stock, the warranty covers it on a track just as it does on the street. No question," he told us. "However, if the car is modified, say with slick tires or other components that would put higher stresses on the vehicle's parts and systems, then we would have to investigate the circumstances further." Marie went on to say the same would be true for any Acura model or Honda vehicle, including the new 2017 Honda Civic Si. This became a common theme. Chevrolet actually started this practice with the fifth-generation Camaro on the high-performance ZL1 and Z/28 models.

Ford Shelby GT350R sets 7:32.19 Nurburgring lap time

It was over a year ago that the Chevy Camaro Z/28 clocked a Nurburgring lap time of 7 minutes and 37.47 seconds, propelling itself up the leader boards as the fastest American muscle car to lap the infamous Nordschleife. But now word has it that another piece of Detroit iron has clocked an even faster time. According to Evo, the new Ford Shelby GT350R Mustang has lapped the Green Hell in a blitzkrieg 7:32.19. That's more than five seconds faster than the Z/28, and propels the GT350R into proper supercar territory: incrementally quicker than the Ferrari 458 Italia and in league with lap times posted by the Nissan GT-R (though not the fastest Godzilla has clocked over the years). With output quoted at "more than 500 horsepower and more than 400 lb-ft of torque," and no 0-60, quarter-mile or top end figures revealed to date, this marks the first genuine measure of performance we've seen for the track-focused pony car - though the numbers have yet to be officially confirmed. The GT350R packs a 5.2-liter V8 unburdened by 130 pounds of excess weight – helped along by carbon-fiber wheels coated in Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 rubber. Related Video: