Ford Motor Co. EVP Mark Fields discussed Ford's hybrid and plug-in electric plans at a recent industry conference. He noted that Ford is launching hybrid versions of its Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan autos later this year and discussed some of the challenges in bringing a PEHV to market.

Fields discussed Ford's efforts to improve efficiency, citing "hundreds of product actions" involving engine and transmission technology, light weight materials, aerodynamic designs, and more.

He talked at length about the challenges of developing commercially viable plug-in electric vehicles. According to Fields, there are questions about providing safe and reliable Li-ion batteries, and that most of the R&D is being done in Asia. He says that the U.S. must intensify its battery technology development efforts or we will find ourselves with another supply related security problem.

Fields says another challenge for plug-in electric vehicles is the lack of infrastructure, including the accessibility of charging ports at homes without garages, apartment buildings, the workplace, and other public places. (The immediate benefit of a plug-in hybrid is the typical 30 mile daily commute, so to me the lack of cross-country charging station infrastructure isn't a good reason to delay PEHV development.) Fields notes that Ford is already road testing a new Ford Escape plug-in hybrid.

Here's the full text of his remarks. It's some pretty interesting reading. Reading between the lines, though, it sounds as though American automakers are playing catch up on plug-in hybrids (Toyota is rumored to be introducing a PEHV Prius for 2010) and they are making some excuses. But Ford is taking it seriously, and, as the first American auto manufacturer to offer a hybrid, they have a head start.

Related: The "Plug-In Electric Vehicles 2008" conference.