Ford is linking up with a London Borough in the UK to provide a demonstration fleet of EVs ahead of its Transit Connect Electric launch next year.
A consortium of Ford, Scottish and Southern Energy and the University of Strathclyde is providing the Transit Connect Electric 5-passenger vehicles and a charging infrastructure in and around the Borough Hillingdon during 2010 and 2011.
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Ford’s European electrification programme announced in March sees the introduction of two zero-emission full battery-electric vehicles, including the Transit Connect Electric light commercial vehicle in 2011, followed by the next generation Ford Focus Electric in 2012.
A hybrid and a plug-in hybrid derivative of the all-new C-MAX, plus another hybrid-electric model will follow by 2013.
Ford’s demonstrator fleet of EVs will be used by the energy company and a local council utlilities to test vehicle and infrastructure technology.
Drivers will be selected to take part in the programme and they will undergo a familiarisation and training course to ensure that useful data can be produced under realistic operating conditions.
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By GlobalDataThe Transit Connect Electric demonstration fleet is being developed partly with public funding from the UK Government’s Technology Strategy Board (TSB), which promotes innovative industry-led projects that reduce CO2 while benefitting the country’s transport system.
“There is increasing interest among our customers for electrified vehicles and we are responding by stepping up our efforts to bring these models to the marketplace alongside our latest-generation, fuel-efficient petrol and diesel powered models,” said Ford of Britain chairman Joe Greenwell.
The Ford Transit Connect Electric uses a lithium ion battery pack with a capacity of 28kWh and a chassis-mounted 55kW electric traction induction motor.
It will have a range of up to 80 miles (48km) and a top speed of up to 75mph. Fully charging the batteries will take less than 10 hours using a household 230 volt.
