Ford will deploy the Transit Connect for the UK ‘Ultra-Low Carbon Vehicle Demonstrator’ program supported by Scottish and Southern Energy.
As a part of the program, which will be managed by Ford’s UK research and development centre at Dunton, Essex, a consortium of Ford, Scottish and Southern Energy and the University of Strathclyde will provide the Transit Connect Electric 5-passenger vehicles and a charging infrastructure in and around Hillingdon during 2010 and 2011.
This program, which will see Ford deploying 21 passenger vehicles, will be used as a platform to test the Transit Connect EV and infrastructure technology prior to its commercial launch in 2011.
Ford has developed the Transit Connect Electric demonstration fleet partly with public funding from the UK Government’s Technology Strategy Board (TSB), which supports industry-led projects that that has the potential to reduce CO2 while benefitting the country’s transport system.
The Ford Transit Connect Electric is powered by a 28kWh lithium ion battery pack and a chassis-mounted 55kW electric traction induction motor. The car which has a top speed of up to 75mph, takes under 10 hours to get fully recharged using a household 230V electricity supply.
Joe Greenwell, chairman of Ford, Britain, said: “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.”
