AUTOS
From Times Staff and Wire Reports
Ford Plans Safety Software for Electric Vehicle: The auto maker said it will install the computer software on its Ecostar minivans to detect conditions that could lead to a battery fire. Should such conditions be detected, the vehicle’s sodium-sulfur battery would be deactivated. Ford Motor Co. had asked test participants to stop using the vehicles until it completed an investigation of recent battery fires. Development of the software should keep the 34 test vehicles off the road for about 10 weeks. The vans are leased--for about $100,000 each--only for corporate fleets.
