Aiming for a lower NOx and particulates emission of delivery vans in London’s central cities, Ford will be releasing in 2019 its first ever range-extender hybrid transit van. In its electric mode, zero emission is achieved, while with its petrol range-extender mode has 25% lesser NOx emission than that of a diesel.
Prior its mass production in 2019, twenty units of this transit van will go into operation for trial runs as feedback to the final engineering of the production model. This will enable the company to fine tune the van’s features like range, performance, and drivability, according to project director Mark Harvey.
Bosch handled the range-extender’s development through its own technology, whereas Prodrive built the prototypes.
The Transit’s components were carefully packaged to prevent interfering with its load area’s volume. Its lithium battery, which is adequately sized for 30 miles of range, is stored under the rear floor, feeding electrons to the motor controller and Bosch front-mounted electric motor. Its one-liter Ecoboost petrol engine functions by generating electric power via a generator and will not drive the front-wheels directly, said Harvey.
However, the transit’s overall carrying capacity is reduced by 200 kilograms due to the weight of lithium ion batteries and the weights of the additional motor and reduction gearbox.
