Ford Presses Forward With Electric Commercial Vehicle Plans

The Transit Connect will be Ford's first pure electric vehicle offering when it goes on sale in 2010. Following that, several more models will be produced for sale in US and elsewhere.

The Ford Motor Company has announced that they are moving forward with their plans to produce electric vehicles beginning with electrified version of its popular Transit Connect commercial vehicle. According to Ford sources the Transit Connect, which has been on sale since 2002 as a gas model, will be joined by an electric model sometime in 2010. Following its debut, Ford has plans to offer several more electric vehicles for sale.

"The new Transit Connect light commercial vehicle with battery electric power represents the next logical step in our pursuit of even greater fuel economy and sustainability," said Derrick Kuzak, Ford's group vice president of Global Product Development.

Transit Connect with battery electric power is the initial offering in Ford's aggressive new electric vehicle plan to bring pure battery-powered vehicles, hybrids and plug-in hybrids to market. To start, during the next four years, Ford will introduce in North America:

  --  Transit Connect battery electric commercial vehicle in 2010

  --  A new battery electric small car in 2011

  --  Next-generation hybrid vehicles in 2012

  --  Plug-in hybrid versions in 2012

To help Ford in its quest to bring an electric vehicle to market, the company 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. Dating back to 1920, Smith has converted tens of thousands of vehicles to battery electric power.

The Transit Connect is considered to have the ideal platform and design to house an electric battery. Once outfitted, the vehicle should have a range of 100 miles which would be adequate for most commercial applications.

Since rolling out in 2002, more than 600,000 copies of the Transit Connect have been sold worldwide serving 58 countries on four continents. The Transit Connect is one of several vehicles Ford will begin selling in the US that were previously available only overseas, demonstrating Ford's commitment to further diversify its product offerings stateside.

Article Tags: Electric Commercial Vehicle, Electric Commercial, Commercial Vehicle, Transit Connect, Battery Electric

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