Dessie McClure from Lindsay Ford with George Devine and Gary Witham from Azure Dynamics at the launch of the revolutionary new Transit Electric Connect.
Lindsay Ford welcomed guests from businesses across Northern Ireland to their Mallusk showroom last week to test drive Ford’s revolutionary electric van. The Transit Connect Electric Van is a pure electric-powered version of the award-winning, long-wheelbase Transit Connect light commercial vehicle. Lindsay Cars is proud to announce that they are the sole supplier of the Electric Connect in Northern Ireland.
The Ford Transit Connect Electric was developed with Azure Dynamics and is now on sale across the UK. The Connect performs like a normal van with a top speed of 75mph. The innovative electric technology on the van means that it produces less toxic emissions into the environment compared to the regular petrol or diesel models. Over the lifetime of the Electric Connect the van requires less investment due to minimal electricity costs and significantly lower servicing costs.
Dessie McClure, Commercial Sales Manager at Lindsay Ford, was delighted with the positive response received about the Electric Connect van. “Last Thursday and Friday we had over 50 representatives from business in Northern Ireland come to Mallusk to find out about and test drive the electric van. We received fantastic feedback about the vehicle and it is clear that businesses are now concerned about protecting the environment. With the introduction of the electric technology into Ford commercial vehicles the future looks very exciting.”
Sustainable Mobility Solution
Developed in conjunction with Ford's electric vehicles partner Azure Dynamics, Transit Connect Electric has a proprietary Force Drive™ battery electric drive train powered by an advanced battery pack from Johnson Controls-Saft.
With 28kWh of power to call on, Transit Connect Electric has a top speed of 75mph (120km/h) and a range of up to 130 km/80 miles. Its lithium-ion battery pack is charged with a standard power outlet. Fully charging the batteries using standard European 230-volt outlets can be completed in approximately 8 hours.
“Transit Connect Electric was designed and engineered with fleet customers in mind, especially for those seeking sustainable mobility solutions,” said Scott Harrison, Azure CEO. “Its quiet, clean and efficient Force DriveTM powertrain excels under the types of urban driving conditions that the Transit Connect Electric is likely to encounter during urban delivery routes.”
Low Running Costs
Transit Connect Electric van will offer European operators the opportunity to eliminate conventional fuel bills in their small vans and help to lower overall running costs.
Ford’s Transit Connect commercial platform is an ideal choice for battery electric power thanks to its true combination of car-like driving dynamics, generous cargo capacity, easy accessibility and low operation costs.
With a cargo volume of 3.8 m3 and a payload of 500kg, Transit Connect Electric van will particularly appeal to fleet operators who travel predictable, short-range routes with frequent stop and go driving.
To find out more about the new Transit Connect Electric Van contact Bill Rennie at Lindsay Ford on 028 9083 7700 or email bill.rennie@lindsay-cars.co.uk.