AT&T has agreed to purchase two of the first Ford Transit Connect Electric vans, becoming the vehicle’s lead customer with an order for two units.
The Ford Transit Connect Electric is powered by Azure Dynamics’ Force Drive electric drivetrain with a lithium-ion battery pack from Johnson Controls-Saft.
The vehicle, which goes on sale later this year, has a range of up to 80 miles on a single charge and will be rechargeable using either 240-volt or standard 120-volt outlets. It has a top speed of 75 miles per hour.
“Cleaner, alternative-fuel vehicles are the future of our corporate fleet, and the Transit Connect Electric represents a real breakthrough and will be a strong addition to our range of alternative-fuel vehicles,” said Jerome Webber, vice president of fleet operations at AT&T. “It’s exactly the kind of vehicle we envisioned when we mapped our long-term vision to invest up to $565 million to deploy more than 15,000 alternative-fuel vehicles through 2018.” AT&T currently operates more than 77,000 vehicles in its corporate fleet, including 15 gasoline-powered Ford Transit Connect vehicles AT&T began piloting in 2009.
Scott T. Harrison, CEO of Azure Dynamics, said Transit Connect Electric project is in line with his company’s mission.
