More BEVs on the way... In very small numbers however.
Colin Wright -
CleanMPG - May 27, 2011
Azure Dynamics Corporation announced on Tuesday an additional 27 Ford Transit Connect Electric van sales, with 12 sales to end customers and 15 sales to Ford commercial truck dealers.
Of the 12 end-customer sales, 5 were to FedEx Express through a New Jersey dealer, Holman Ford Lincoln, to add to the FedEx fleet for evaluation. Frederick W. Smith, the founder and CEO of FedEx, is an advocate of electrification of transportation. Other companies with large fleets, including AT&T, Canada Post and Norway Post are currently running Transit Connect Electric vans in order to gain operational experience.
4 vans were bought by the City of Toronto. In November last year it was announced that the city had ordered 12 vans.
3 vans were purchased DTE Energy, one of Michigan's largest energy supplier, to help them understand the future impact of EVs on energy production and distribution requirements. The Transit Connect Electric is already being evaluated by other energy companies, including SoCal Edison, NYPA and Xcel.
FedEx Express and the City of Toronto were returning customers. They had previously bought Azure's Balance Hybrid Electric trucks. The Azure Balance has a 60% share in the North American medium duty hybrid commercial truck market.
5 of the 15 sales to Ford dealers have already been assigned to customers for demonstration:
Green Mountain Power though Heritage Ford, South Burlington, VT
Johnson Controls through Heiser Ford Lincoln, Glendale, WI
ThyssenKrupp Elevators through Sutton Ford Lincoln Mercury, Matteson, IL
University of Toronto through Oak-land Ford Lincoln, Oakville, ONT
Westar Energy through Olathe Ford Lincoln (2 units), Olathe, KS
The other 10 demonstration vehicles were bought by the following dealers:
Folsom Lake Ford, Folsom, CA
Gary Yeomans Ford Lincoln Mazda, Daytona Beach, FL
Mission Valley Ford, San Jose, CA
Midway Ford Truck Center, Kansas City, MO
Pearson Ford, Zionsville, IN
Sanderson Ford, Glendale, AZ
Suburban Ford, Sterling Heights, MI
Trans-West Truck Center, Fontana, CA
Van Bortel Ford Inc, East Rochester, NY
The price is steep at $57,400, which even after the Federal tax credit is twice the cost of a gasoline-powered Transit Connect. However, the potential for low running costs means there's a great deal of interest in the van, which, despite Ford's current outsourced approach to manufacturing, shows the greatest potential to be the first mass-manufactured commercial electric vehicle of the new electric era.
Ford Transit Connect Electric
The
Ford Transit Connect Electric is built by Azure Dynamics in Oak Park, Michigan using gliders manufactured at Ford's plant in Kocaeli, Turkey, a Li-Ion battery from Johnson Controls and Azure's drive-train components.
The van has a range of 50 to 80 miles depending on drive cycle and auxiliary usage and is rechargeable using either a 240-volt or standard 120-volt outlet.
Hybrid Mode
