Ford readies for push in electric cars, Morgan Stanley says

[NEW YORK] Ford Motor Co is preparing to make a bigger push in electric vehicles, according to Morgan Stanley.

The company doesn't currently offer any electric cars although it has been heavily investing in such technology. The carmaker's ongoing discussions with Volkswagen AG promise to take its electric-car ambitions "to the next level," analysts led by Adam Jonas wrote in a note on Wednesday, adding that such a deal mitigates financial risks from electric car investment.

"While Ford and VW have yet to announce any definitive agreement around joint-BEV development," Morgan Stanley wrote, referring to battery electric vehicles, "we believe investors should prepare for significant levels of potential collaboration to share development and manufacturing costs".

Ford shares rose as much as 1.7 per cent to US$10.29 on Wednesday, its highest level since May 17.

An announcement could be imminent. Bloomberg has reported that Volkswagen's supervisory board plans to discuss, and possibly approve, the next steps toward expanding its alliance with Ford when it meets next week, according to people familiar with the matter. The two companies announced a collaboration on vans and pickup trucks back in January.

Battery electric vehicles accounted for 1.4 per cent of US car volume last year, according to Morgan Stanley. Excluding Tesla Inc, out of roughly every 400 cars sold in the US, only one is a fully electric car.

Mr Jonas cautions that a move to fully-electric cars could hurt earnings in the near term, but he's optimistic in the long run. "We see a decisive strategy towards sustainable transportation as ultimately beneficial to the company's long-term strength and earnings multiple and believe investors would be positively inclined to such a move," he wrote.

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