Azure Dynamics, a developer of hybrid electric and electric powertrains for commercial vehicles, is providing its patented Force Drive battery electric powertrain to replace the gasoline engine in the Transit Connect. Force Drive components have previously been deployed in more than 40 vehicle integrations and have more than 25 million miles of on-the-road experience, the company claimed.
Scott Harrison, CEO of Azure Dynamics Michigan, said: “The Transit Connect Electric is an ideal vehicle for our Force Drive technology. Force Drive is especially effective for fleets with predictable short range routes and frequent stop-and-go urban driving conditions that Transit Connect Electric vehicles are likely to encounter. We’ll be able to offer owners lower operating and maintenance costs and zero emissions in a vehicle that can go up to 80 miles on a charge.”
Gerry Koss, marketing manager of Ford Motor, said: “Fleet owners are demanding greater operating efficiency in cleaner vehicles. The Transit Connect Electric delivers on both fronts. As the first product in our aggressive electrified vehicle plan, we expect the Transit Connect Electric to be an immediate hit and keep Ford squarely on track to leadership in the electric vehicle market.”
Force Drive’s lithium-ion battery, provided by Johnson Controls-Saft, is expected to last the life of the Transit Connect Electric and replaces energy provided by gasoline in the standard Transit Connect. When the vehicle is operating, battery power is provided to the drive motor through the electric powertrain’s motor controller, which uses throttle input from the driver to convert DC power supplied by the battery into three precisely timed signals used to drive the motor.
Integration of the battery has been done without infringing on interior passenger room and cargo space and, other than Azure’s Force Drive badge on the exterior of the vehicle and information provided on the instrument cluster, the Transit Connect Electric will be identical to the standard Transit Connect vehicle, the company said.
The Transit Connect Electric represents a continuation of Azure’s ongoing relationship with Ford Motor. Azure’s Balance Hybrid Electric medium-duty commercial vehicle is built on the Ford E-450 cutaway and strip chassis as is the Balance Hybrid Electric shuttle bus.
