Ford to Introduce Transit Connect Electric Passenger Wagon

Electric Car News | admin | November 17, 2011 at 12:57 am

Ford and Azure Dynamics are introducing a passenger version of their electric cargo van, the Ford Transit Connect Electric Wagon.

The Transit Connect Electric Wagon will be aimed at commercial customers, but that doesn’t mean that ordinary consumers looking for a larger electric car than the Nissan LEAF couldn’t buy one.

The Ford Transit Connect Electric Wagon will feature the same 28 kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack found in its cargo sibling, giving it an identical range of 55 to 80 miles on a single charge depending on driving conditions and ancillary power usage. The Wagon has a top speed of 75 mph.

Wagon owners will have the option of recharging Transit Connect Electric with either a standard 120-volt outlet, or preferably a 240-volt charging station, typically installed at the user’s base of operations for optimal recharging in six to eight hours. The vehicle’s charge port is located above the passenger-side rear wheel well in the spot typically used for conventional re-fueling.

Like its cargo van sibling, the Transit Connect Electric Wagon qualifies for the $7,500 federal incentive in the United States. In addition to federal incentives, fleet owners in California can receive an additional $15,000 incentive from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for the first Transit Connect Electric van or wagon purchased for deployment in California.

Subsequent purchases of Transit Connect Electric vans or wagons will qualify for an incentive of up to $12,000, with a maximum of 100 vans per customer.