3 March 2009
An Electric Transit Connect
By Eric Descarries
One of the global vehicles that Ford will introduce to the North American market soon is a commercial vehicle, its small Transit Connect already sold in Europe that will be built in a dedicated plant in Turkey. The Transit Connect really represents the “One Ford” global strategy but when it was to hit our shores as a 2010 model, it was planned to be offered only with a gas-powered four cylinder engine coupled to a five-speed automatic transmission. In other words, Ford has not yet announced a diesel-powered version as it is available in Europe.
The upcoming Ford Transit Connect will
be available as an all-electric vehicle.
But lately, Ford made a surprise announcement by unveiling the availability of an electric version of the same little delivery van in North America! Indeed, Ford has teamed up with Europe’s leading battery electric commercial vehicle upfitter, Smith Electric Vehicles, a unit of the Tanfield Group, to bring this vehicle to the market in North America as quickly as possible. Smith already modifies the bigger Transit vans for Ford to battery electric power in the UK and select other European markets.
According to Ford’s press releases, this electric vehicle is only the first of many to come including a new battery electric small car in 2011, a next generation of hybrid vehicles in 2012 and plug-in hybrid versions in the same year.
| 
