Pricing, fleet or otherwise, was not disclosed unfortunately.
Wayne Gerdes -
CleanMPG - Oct. 28, 2010
2011 Ford Transit Connect – The switch from Smith to Azure was sudden and unexpected but the Van appears to have made it before the clock strikes twelve on Midnight of Dec. 31, 2010
Azure Dynamics and Ford of Canada announced that they will deliver one of the first Transit Connect Electric commercial vans to Canada Post under the LEAD customer program. Canada Post will receive one of the exclusive Ford Transit Connect Electric delivery vehicles by the end of this year and has committed to the purchase of nine more by end of 2011.
“The transformative technology of the Transit Connect Electric reduces gasoline fuel costs to zero, produces no tailpipe emissions and is virtually silent as it travels through urban and suburban delivery routes,” said Scott Harrison, Azure Dynamics CEO. “The progressive attitude of companies like Canada Post will contribute to making an important environmental impact.”
The new van’s electric drive is well suited to fleets like Canada Post that have duty cycles characterized by predictable routes with frequent stop and go driving and high idle time.
The Transit Connect Electric integrates Azure’s Force Drive electric powertrain into Ford’s dedicated global commercial van platform that received the 2010 North American Truck of the Year award. Its unique combination of car-like driving dynamics, cargo capacity, maneuverability, accessibility and low operating costs are characteristics that make the Transit Connect an ideal choice for electrification.
The Ford Transit Connect BEV utilizes an advanced Li-Ion battery from Johnson Controls-Saft to achieve an all-electric range (AER) of up to 80 miles on a single charge and is rechargeable using either a 240-volt or standard 120-volt outlet. Commercial vans generally return to a central location at the end of each driving cycle making for easy overnight recharging.
Hybrid Mode
