In an all-out effort to lower the cost of their hybrid offerings Ford has in-sourced (is that a word?) nearly all of its hybrid technology. Ford designed its own hybrid battery, which will soon start production in Ford’s Rawsonville, Michigan plant, as well as its own hybrid transmission, to be produced in Detroit.

Software development for the hybrids has also been brought in-house. The results? Costs on Ford’s newest generation of hybrids dropped by a cool 30%…

via Gas 2.0.

Speaking of hybrids, this is promising news. One barrier to hybrid car adoption has been the price premium. Make the price equal and you are on the way to a wider adoption of this technology.

I’m still not convinced hybrid is the endgame for automotive transport, but its certainly a step in the right direction.