Ford Motor Co. this week is unveiling the all-electric version of its Truck of the Year, the Ford Transit Connect, at the Chicago Auto Show.
The truck is outfitted with the Force Drive battery electric powertrain from Oak Park-based Azure Dynamics Corp. and advanced lithium-ion battery technology from Johnson Controls-Saft, a joint venture of Glendale, Wis.-based Johnson Controls Inc. and the French battery maker Saft Groupe S.A.
The all-electric, zero-emission Transit Connect Electric has targeted range of up to 80 miles per full charge, and will be rechargeable in six to eight hours using either 240-volt or standard 120-volt outlets. It will accelerate at a similar rate as the gas-powered Transit Connect and will have a top speed of 75 mph.
Ford says the Transit Connect Electric is ideal for fleet owners that have well-defined routes of predictable distances and a central location for daily recharging.
In addition to the Transit Connect Electric, Ford plans to bring three more electrified vehicles to market by 2012 -- the Focus Electric in 2011, a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle in 2012 and a next-generation hybrid in 2012.
The vehicle's charge port is located above the passenger-side rear wheel well. The onboard liquid-cooled 28-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack is charged by connecting the charge port to a power outlet. Inside the vehicle, an onboard charger converts the AC power from the electric grid to DC power to charge the battery pack.
When the vehicle is operating, battery power is provided to the drive motor through the electric powertrain's motor controller. The motor controller uses throttle input from the driver to convert DC power supplied by the battery into three precisely timed signals used to drive the motor.
The onboard DC/DC converter allows the vehicle's main battery pack to charge the onboard 12V battery, which powers the vehicle's various accessories, such as headlights, power steering and coolant pumps.
In the Transit Connect Electric, the battery pack has been integrated without compromising interior passenger room and cargo space. The battery pack is expected to last the life of the vehicle.
The Transit Connect Electric is expected to offer lower cost of operation, because recharging with electricity is generally less expensive than refueling with gasoline. Users may also benefit from much lower maintenance costs over the life of the vehicle, because it has fewer moving parts, has no exhaust system, never needs a tune-up or an oil change, and has a maintenance-free sealed cooling system.
