Ford will kick off its electric vehicle initiative with a battery-powered version of the new Transit Connect commercial van next year, the company announced Monday. With a 100 mile range, the vehicle will be able to cover more than enough distance for many applications.
Many commercial users travel predictable, short-range routes, says Ford , with lots of stop and go in urban and suburban environments. A three-figure range makes Transit Connect a useful hauler, with significantly reduced operation and maintenance costs over the long term. That’s because EVs generally have no gears, and far less moving parts, not to mention less metal-on-metal wear.
“A growing number of our commercial vehicle fleet clients have expressed interest in electrification as a sustainable mobility solution,†said Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s group vice president of Global Product Development.
Ford is working with Smith Electric Vehicles, the European market’s leading battery electric upfitter of commercial vehicles, which is part of the U.K.-based Tanfield Group of companies.
As part of its overall transition to electric vehicles, over the next four years, Ford will introduce in North America: the EV Transit Connect, an EV sedan, and a variety of plug-in hybrids. Expected to be sold as a 2011 model, the Transit Connect EV will be the first in that lineup.
