Ford NZ to launch plug-in van
The venerable Ford Transit is going hi-tech next year with a plugin hybrid version landing here, writes Damien O’Carroll.
After a slow start in the electrification field, Ford New Zealand is launching the first of its plug-in vehicles into the New Zealand market next year, but two of them probably aren’t what you were expecting.
While the company has previously said it would be bringing the plug-in hybrid version of the next-generation Escape SUV here next year, it has also just revealed that it will be joined by two PHEV versions of the Transit – the Transit Custom and the Tourneo eight-seat people mover.
With an electric NEDC driving range of up to 56 kilometres, the Transit Custom PHEV’s front wheels are driven exclusively by a 92.9kW electric motor powered by a 13.6kWh lithium-ion battery pack.
This means that, despite Ford calling it a PHEV, the Transit is technically a range-extended EV. The brilliant 3-cylinder 1-litre EcoBoost petrol engine doesn’t actually drive the wheels – it only kicks in as a generator when the battery needs a charge.
Ford claims a total driving range exceeding 500km, with a combined fuel consumption of 2.7l/100 km fuel efficiency and 60 g/km CO2 emissions (again, using the NEDC test cycle).
Because the battery is packaged under the Transit’s floor, it retains the standard van’s 6 square metres of load space, with a generous net payload of 1130kg. Ford is covering the battery pack with a standard
8-year/160,000km warranty as well. The Tourneo Titanium 8-seat people-mover uses the same powertrain, but offers ‘‘superior levels of refinement in a spacious rear compartment with unique-insegment conference seating’’.
Using a charging port on the front bumper, the Transit can be charged in 4.3 hours using a domestic 240-volt
10-amp power supply, or 2.7 hours using a commercial type-2 AC vehicle charger and it has four selectable EV modes.
‘‘EV Auto’’ monitors battery energy levels and the current driving scenario – motorway versus stopstart driving – to decide whether to activate the range extender, while ‘‘EV Now’’ prioritises using the battery for emissions-free driving, deactivating the range extender until battery levels reach a minimum state of charge.
‘‘EV Later’’ prioritises the range extender and ups the regenerative charging to maintain the current level of battery charge, while ‘‘EV Charge’’ fires up the range extender to power the vehicle and top up the battery for when further all-electric running is required at a later time.
As you might have guessed, the modes are strongly aimed at European cities with ultra-low emission zones (ULEZ) and the European Transit also gets a geofencing feature that will automatically activate the pure-EV mode when entering a ULEZ.
Like many other EVs, the Transit allows drivers to choose the degree of energy recovery (and braking assistance) from the regenerative charging system.
Selecting ‘‘Low’’ on the gear selector will effectively turn the transit into a ‘‘one pedal’’ driving vehicle, increasing the programmed deceleration and automatically illuminating the brake lights when
An optional 12-volt Epower Pack will enable operators to run highpower electrical equipment such as power tools or site lights from the vehicle’s high-voltage battery, using an easily accessible connection delivering up to 6kW of power.
‘‘Our customers want electrified vehicles, but many still have concerns about infrastructure and range,’’ Ford New Zealand managing director Simon Rutherford said.
‘‘The new Transit Custom and Tourneo Plug-In Hybrids deliver the same well-renowned productivity capabilities combined with the ability to drive on zero-emission electric power and anxiety free ability to make longer journeys,’’ Rutherford said.
While the Escape PHEV and the Transit/Tourneo PHEV twins are the start of Ford finally getting into electrification, they are not the end of that by a long shot: a new allelectric Transit Cargo will join the Transit range in 2021, and the company has also announced that every new Ford passenger vehicle nameplate will include an electrified option from now on – either a mildhybrid, full-hybrid, plug-in hybrid or all-electric.
Ford NZ says it will announce prices for the Transit and Tourneo PHEV closer to the launch date.