I've been thinking about my next car, it will be an EV. It is easy to get caught up in the hype of the Nissan Leaf, Mitsubishi i- MIev, Think Ox, Aptera, etc. All promise to fulfill the needs of some segment of the future EV buying public. But as much as I lust for a Mitsu I-MIev Sport concept car, it is a far cry from what I really need for a daily commuter/second vehicle. I really need a vehicle that in addition to getting 60+ mi range and is highway-speed capable makes up for all the things that Amapola, my '08 Touring, doesn't do, or at least doesn't do well. That would include: * Carry 5 full sized people and their luggage to the airport without carrying the smaller carry-on pices on people's laps. * Carry really large and bulky items that fit easily in my old Dodge mini-van. The Prius won't do these things, and neither will any of the other EVs named above. Enter the Ford BEV Transit Connect. * 80 mile range * 75 MPH, * 6-8 hr recharge at 220v. * Aero isn't great but the vehicle will be used mostly in traffic on surface roads. What's not to like? Well, for the immediate future the BEV TC is only offered as a commercial vehicle for fleet sales. Come on Ford, get with it and offer a mini-van version. You'll be glad you did.
I think that's the next frontier - and who ever gets there first with a viable product, will dominate the market for a while. I'm thinking 32 city, 40 highway is the threshold - most minivans are closer to 17/24 (and have LOTS of miles put on them).
Not bad. It will probably be more lively than the petrol version we have on sale right now. We get the 2.0 litre 4 cylinder model. It's slow as heck (but then again, it's designed for deliveries within the city). I'm not sure why they didn't bring the diesel version. A BEV version would work well. 80 mile range? well depends on the size of the city I guess.
Tideland Prius, Is the we referred to the we in "we Canadians," or the we in "At the dealership I own/work at, we sell Ford Transit Connects?" The reason I ask, so far I haven't seen any reference to a projected price. If you are one of the second wes, have you heard any rumors on the price? I don't see a connection between range and "size of the city." 80 miles is 80 miles the world around, isn't it. What am I missing?
Yes exactly. I have been wondering why there has not been a hybrid mini van? Seems like a perfect product for families everywhere. Likewise the Honda Element. Where the heck is that hybrid? It would be a natural.
Oh, we as in "We Canadians" Ford Motor Company of Canada, Limited It's a little pricey but otherwise, a pretty decent vehicle.
Couldn't the ford connect serve as a smaller minvan? it looks like it has enough room in the rear for a third seat. I've sat in one and it's pretty comfortable. Not everyone needs a minibus (which minvans have become)
... "as silent and civil as a gracious butler" An encouraging tidbit about what I hope is my first EV: "Sherman compares the Transit Connect to the Tesla Roadster, 'You've heard about the silent smoothness of electrics but many of them— including Teslas—generate prodigious amounts of gear and electrical whine,' he writes. 'The Transit Connect Electric, however, is as silent and civil as a gracious butler. This powertrain responds enthusiastically to a prod of the pedal with barely a murmur.' More.
The BEV Transit Connect has an advertised max range of 80 miles. But that's 80 mi. in favorable conditions. I got to see up-close, but not ride in, a Tesla. I asked the owner what his max range was. He said that his max range was 2/3 of whatever his range gauge said. Why was that? "1/3 to get there, 1/3 to get home, and 1/3 'just in case.'" Two of the "just in cases" would be in extremely hot or cold weather. Using this algorithm, the BEV-TC's max range is ~53mi. That's enough for my 28 mi. daiy commute, with 25 miles in reserve to make those real world -- but seldom mentioned -- pesky mid-week, hurry-up-quick errands/personal appointments at the end of the work day. YMWV (Your Mileage Will Vary.)
I have found nothing on pricing on the 'Net. For reason's I can't explain, I'm expecting high $30K -low $40K... probably wishful thinking. By late 2010, pricing should be known: "... In advance of the launch of the Ford Transit Connect Electric van and other EVs, Ford started a 14-city promotional  tour in Portland, Oregon on Monday. Ford will sell limited numbers of Transit Connects later this year and electric Ford Focus' later in 2011. Ford is working with utilities, local government, and Portland State University to ensure that the city is ready with a charging infrastructure when the EVs arrive ..." More.
I've been hauling people and heavy cargo in my EV for years. I'm glad to see the Transit Connect, but I'd love to see an Electric Sprinter too!
I see these delivery Ford vehicless running around our area from time to time ... ICE version. Man ... with THAT much area inside ... I smell EV camper on the horizon. A couple pop-outs ... with extra batteries, & I'd be good to go.
With 80 mile range how long would it take to get from S. Cal to Whitefish Mt? The west is full of wide open spaces, it will be a while before we have a practical EV/RV.
Hi pEEF, I see they had the common sense to put a fuel based heater in your G-Van. Been commenting on that for some time.
Yeah the heater works amazingly well, and uses so little. (it's German) I think I can make it through a whole winter on about 2 gallons of diesel. (the tank is only 4 gallons, so I only have to fill it once every few years!) If it's really cold out, I'll go start the heater then come back in and take a shower/get ready, then it's all toasty when I'm ready to leave. If we had more cold winters here, I'd put a timer or a remote on it. If it was a conventional electric resistance heater running off the pack, I doubt I'd ever use it! (even if I didn't need the range, it's the principle!) Arguably, the right way to do a heater in an EV (and still keep it fuel free) is a heat pump.
Hi pEEF, A heat pump ain't going to do it below 25 F. And fuel based heaters are like 75 % efficient, if not more. Hell of a lot better than an engine heater, and plenty of capacity for those 5 F mornings in the midwest. Which also require heating up the batteries. If your going to burn fuel, burning it and getting 3/4s of the heat out of it is the next best thing. Like you said 4 gallons in 2 years in San Fran. That would probably translate to 8 gallons a winter here. Or, filling it once at the start of winter, and once half way thru , for a total of 3 to 4 months of heating. Not bad at all...
How about this new medium duty aero-EV from Freightliner Custom Chassis: "We recognized that we needed to do more than offer a stand-alone all-electric chassis, so we partnered with other companies to do a full vehicle that is a stark departure from the traditional boxy Class 4/5 truck," Michael Stark, Alternative Fuels/Hybrid-Electric Vehicle Project Manager at FCCC said about the next-generation medium-duty commercial truck. ... "We already have orders for the vehicle, and we plan to be in full production by mid-2011," Stark said. FCCC's new electric truck is capable of a 100-mi driving range on a single charge. "That really fits very well with the typical delivery routes seen daily in urban areas," said Stark. Tesla Motors is the supplier of the truck's three lithium-ion battery packs, each pack providing 18.5 kW·h for a total of 55.5 kW·h. According to JB Straubel, Chief Technology Officer at Tesla Motors, "The fully electric Freightliner truck is the first application of our battery technology in a commercial vehicle. Fleets are a logical next step in the electric vehicle revolution..." More info. And then there's the BRIGHT PHEV, ~100 eMPG. More info.
