By Mark Kleis
Thursday, Jan 12th, 2012 @ 11:45 am

If you asked the average shopper what electric cars are currently for sale, your top three most likely answers (and probably in this order) would be: Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Volt and “I don’t know.”

Ford wouldn’t mind changing that since it has had the Transit Connect Electric on the market for more than a few months and, perhaps more importantly for the average driver, a Focus Electric coming very soon.

Leftlane recently had the opportunity to take a close look at the coming Focus Electric, but we also noticed a Transit Connect Electric sitting in the distance…keys on the seat. So we took it for a spin.

Making things move
First up, starting the Transit Connect is just plain awkward. Turn the key and hold it for a couple of seconds and the Transit Connect’s electric motor is – hopefully – ready to roll. Only problem? There is no sound or indication that you’ve actually fired up the motor, so you might find yourself unintentionally starting and restarting the van.

This is something that simply takes getting used to as we transition from gas to diesel engines (both of which have their own unique starting sounds and times), but we feel something could be done to make this process a bit more clear. That said, not a big deal – after a time or two owners likely adjust to this.

Once up and running, the Transit Connect Electric is nearly dead silent, aside from a slight, low-volume electric buzz that occurs as the vehicle recharges during deceleration or the Starship Enterprise-like electric whoosh that can be heard during heavy acceleration. Compared to any fossil fuel-powered car on the road, this thing is dead silent. There are pros and cons to this, some of which Congress has considered with proposed fixes, while others become apparent for those of us sensitive to every rattle, clink and buzz while driving with the radio off.

To that, this particular Transit Connect Electric was equipped with a special aftermarket all-metal, multi-level tray/storage system (available through Ford dealers) and was packed with actual tools and supplies as this vehicle was used by Ford folk to service their traveling displays and vehicles. When going over bumps all of that metal liked to continually remind you how quiet driving this electric vehicle would be if they weren’t banging against each other.

Truth be told, this is what work truck drivers are used to; the rattling is simply more noticeable because there’s no V8 (or inline four, in this case) growling up front.

Otherwise, driving the Transit Connect Electric was incredibly, well, uneventful. If you expect some ground-breaking new driving experience, you might be let down. This vehicle is easy to drive, simple to operate and get a feel for and doesn’t leave you scrambling for the manual. You just turn the key (try and figure out if it is on), and drive away.

If anything differs from the standard Transit Connect, it would be the nearly linear acceleration that rekindles memories of how you might have imagined a car would drive when you were pushing around your Hot Wheels cars as a kid. It is smooth, shift-free and just goes when you tell it to.

Unfortunately our time was a bit limited and given that the event took place as rush hour traffic approached, so we didn’t get to test out the top speed limiter of 75 mph since we mostly were limited to flogging this work van on quiet city streets.

Final thoughts
The Transit Connect Electric seems to deliver everything Ford promised, but whether or not that will be enough for buyers asked to turn over $57,400 before state and federal rebates. that’s a heck of a lot of change, but “change” is exactly what this EV is intended to help usher in. For some image-conscious companies, the price is worth every penny – and the up-to $22,000 in rebates (In California) from government entities make it a lot less painful to purchase than it seems.

Aside from price, the only major complaints come in the form of an expected 80 mile total range and somewhat limited rearward visibility. The range issue will take some advanced technology to sort out, but the visibility can at least be helped with the rearview mirror-mounted backup camera that helped us back up to a charging station. It’s a must have for the Transit Connect Electric.

Words and photos by Mark Kleis.

Related Articles

left
right
  

LeftLane

Login

  • LeftLane

    Copyright © 2005 - 2012 Left lane News.
    All rights reserved.