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Ford Transit Connect Electric to qualify for $15,000 rebate in California

Autoblog Staff — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 09:28:00 EST

Filed under: Car Buying, Minivan/Van, Government/Legal, Ford, Electric

The California Air Resources Board (CARB) is set to add an additional category to its Hybrid Incentive Voucher Program (HVIP) that awards buyers of zero-emissions light-duty commercial vehicles, including the Ford Transit Connect Electric, a discount of up to $15,000 on their green vehicle purchase.

Starting in November, light-duty zero-emissions commercial vehicles with a GVWR between 5,001 and 8,500 pounds will be eligible for vouchers of up to $15,000 in California. This discount will reportedly be available to all fleets, public or private, that register the zero-emissions vehicles in the state of California. This $15,000 discount, coupled with the federal government's $7,500 tax credit, means that some buyers of the Transit Connect Electric will get a whopping $22,500 off the vehicle's $57,400 price tag.

Vouchers for the light-duty zero-emissions category are valued at $15,000 for a fleet's first vehicle ordered, with $12,000 off all purchases thereafter for the remainder of Fiscal Year 2011. Proposed vouchers for Fiscal Year 2012 dip to $12,000 for the first three vehicles, $10,000 for the next 27 purchased, $8,000 for vehicles 31-65 and $6,000 for vehicles 66-100.

Ford Transit Connect Electric to qualify for $15,000 rebate in California originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 20 Oct 2011 09:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Isn't it Ironic? Ex-Hummer builder AM General handling final assembly of Transit Connect Electric

Sam Abuelsamid — Wed, 19 May 2010 14:41:00 EST

Filed under: Minivan/Van, Plants/Manufacturing, Ford, Electric

Ford Transit Connect Electric - Click above for high-res image gallery

When Ford and Azure Dynamics unveiled the Transit Connect Electric van earlier this year, Azure announced that the electric drive systems would be installed at a facility in Michigan. Today, Azure let it be known that the installation work will be done by AM General, a company that's best known for producing the military-spec Humvee, at its engineering and product development facility in Livonia, MI.

Ford will be shipping Transit Connect gliders (vehicles without any fuel or powertrain components installed) from its plant in Turkey to the AM General plant. Azure will ship the motors, power electronics and batteries to the plant where AM General will do the final assembly. The first units will be produced late this year with full production ramping up by April of 2011. The Transit Connect Electric will have a range of about 80 miles and be targeted at commercial customers, although Ford will apparently sell the van to any customer who wants one. Official press release available after the jump.

Gallery: Ford Transit Connect Eletric at Chicago Auto Show

[Source: Azure Dynamics]

Continue reading Isn't it Ironic? Ex-Hummer builder AM General handling final assembly of Transit Connect Electric

Isn't it Ironic? Ex-Hummer builder AM General handling final assembly of Transit Connect Electric originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 19 May 2010 14:41:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Chicago Preview: Ford rolls out production Transit Connect Electric and Taxi variants

Chris Paukert — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:27:00 EST

Filed under: Chicago Auto Show, Minivan/Van, Work, Ford, Specialty, Electric

2011 Ford Transit Connect Electric and Taxi models - click either image for high-res gallery

Fresh off of its North American Truck of the Year win, Ford's Transit Connect commercial van range is set to grow by two. The Blue Oval will present the space-efficient runabout in production electric and taxi forms at tomorrow's Chicago Auto Show.

The battery-powered version, unimaginatively dubbed Transit Connect Electric, is primarily intended as a fleet solution for intra-city use. The emissions-free vanlet has a range of up to 80 miles and can be recharged through either a 240-volt or 120-volt outlet. In Ford's words, the TCE is "ideal for fleet owners that have well-defined routes of predictable distances and a central location for daily recharging," and we can see it being a great fit for utility companies and urban-only delivery services and such.

Despite the added bulk within the chassis of the electric powertrain and battery, Ford says the transit connect will still have the same 135 cubic feet of cargo space, including 72.6 inches of load length.

The Transit Connect Electric clearly isn't designed for home use, although Ford officials admitted to us that a few might get pressed into service in that capacity. Still, those looking for a battery-electric solution for their driveway would probably be better off waiting for the Focus Electric, a model slated for 2011.

While the average consumer is unlikely to catch a ride in Ford's Transit Connect Electric, we're betting that you'll have a very good chance at planting your posterior in Dearborn's new taxi package model in the next few years, especially as the company's ubiquitous Crown Victoria cab is marked for extinction.

The Transit Connect Taxi will be powered by the same 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine as the TC that's already on the market, but Ford will offer engine prep packages to convert the vehicle to run on either compressed natural gas or propane fuels. Even without the conversion kits, the gas-powered TC is said to be 30 percent more fuel-efficient than current taxis.

Unlike the Crown Vic, the Blue Oval promises that the taxi package will be available with a version of Ford Work Solutions that will also include high-speed Internet and navigation. In addition, Ford is working with suppliers to offer rear-seat entertainment packages and a credit-card swipe pay station for passengers. In the prototype vehicle that we had the chance to sit in, there was an 8.4-inch screen in the back seat that offered everything from maps to a stock ticker, weather conditions, and cab fare. Rear legroom was a bit on the tight side, but ingress and egress was easier than other vehicles with the big sliders, and cargo capacity remains solid.

The Transit Connect Taxi goes into production this year and will be earmarked as a 2011 model.

High-res galleries below, official press releases for both vehicles available after the jump.

Gallery: 2011 Ford Transit Connect Electric

Gallery: 2011 Ford Transit Connect Taxi

[Source: Ford]

Continue reading Chicago Preview: Ford rolls out production Transit Connect Electric and Taxi variants

Chicago Preview: Ford rolls out production Transit Connect Electric and Taxi variants originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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