Ahead of the CV Show we talk to Gary Whittam, sales and marketing director for Azure Dynamics, the firm building the electric Transit Connect that will have its official UK debut at the show.
Smiths Electric vehicles have already displayed an electric Ford Connect at the Ford stand at the CV Show some years ago. The difference this time is that Ford dealers are actually going to be able to sell it to the public.
There have been electric vans before, there have even been electric Transit Connects before. However, the electric Connect built by Azure Dynamics will be the first to be sold direct from Ford dealerships. And this is only possible because of the high engineering standards the Azure vehicle is built to, according to Azure Dynamics sales and marketing director Gary Whittam.
Under a collaboration agreement with Ford, Azure Dynamics takes Transit Connect ‘gliders’ (the chassis and body, but no engine or other mechanicals) from Ford’s Kocaeli plant in Turkey and installs all the electrical components such as its state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery and motor as well as charging equipment and controls, in the UK.
This way, says Whittam, the electric Connects can maintain the high quality and durability of their diesel counterparts.
“This means the van will officially be listed as the Ford Transit Connect Electric,”
he adds. “It will look like a Connect, it has been crash-tested to the same standards as the conventional Connect. And it also has the same insurance classification as the diesel van, due to this robustness,” says Whittam, who is a former Ford commercial vehicle director.
The performance figures for the electric Connect are impressive. Fully laden, the vehicle will travel 60-80 miles between charges, and will be able to operate between -40°C to +45°C. It will also be able to drive up a 20 per cent incline fully loaded.
“Fully loaded means a payload of 500kg plus driver,” says Whittam. “The charging time is six to 10 hours on a standard socket, the electric Connect has an intelligent charging system to allow for it to cope with the changes in amps in electricity supplies across Europe.”
Whittam believes that initially there will be three types of customer: “Firstly there are those that want to be green and want to be top of the list. Then there’s businesses where the cost of fuel makes them change, but they’re green neutral. These people can’t or won’t plan with the cost of fuel rising so quickly.
“Thirdly, there’s those that aren’t necessarily green, but if they want to operate in a green zone or with a green customer, then they need a green vehicle.”
The first Ford Transit Connect Electric vans will be delivered later this year and production will start at “300-500 units this year, growing to four figures in time,”
says Whittam.
He concedes that the initial cost of the vehicle will be higher than a diesel equivalent, “but the fuel costs will offset this and electric vehicles are typically run for longer than diesel vans. Plus, diesel prices are only going one way.”
Tags: electric van, ford connect, transit connect