Ford Transit Electric uses the “Force Drive”

Posted on 10. Feb, 2010 by Eco Autos in Eco News

Filed under: EV/Plug-in, Ford, Chicago Auto Show

Ford Transit Connect Electric – Click above for high-res image gallery

As expected, Ford brought the latest (and greatest?) incarnations of the Transit Connect utility van to the Chicago Auto Show today. The battery-powered Transit Connect Electric was up first, perhaps because it fits so well into Ford’s strategy of vehicle electrification (see also: Focus Electric coming next year, followed by a plug-in hybrid and a next-gen hybrid in 2012). At the very least, this is Ford’s first battery-powered vehicle, said product development vice president Derrick Kuzak.

The practical and battery-powered delivery van (the standard version was named the North American Truck of the Year this year) uses a powertrain developed with help from Azure Dynamics Corporation. Called Force Drive, the 55 kW system uses a 28 kWh lithium ion battery pack from Johnson Controls-Saft, has a 75 mile per hour top speed and can drive up to 80 miles on a charge. Will these specs be enough for customers? Praveen Cherian, program manager for the Transit Connect Electric, said in a statement that:

We’re excited about the potential for our electrified vehicles. People were a little hesitant about hybrid technology at first, but now they accept it and embrace it. We expect the same will be true of electric vehicles.

The Transit Connect Electric goes on sale in the U.S. later this year, so we’ll find out soon. More details after the jump.

Gallery: Ford Transit Connect Eletric at Chicago Auto Show