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Archive for the 'Transit Connect' Category

Aug

Best Buy to use Ford vans for Geek Squad

Categories: Transit Connect, ford and van
Tags: ford, Transit Connect, vans, Best Buy

DEARBORN, Mich. — Ford Motor Co. said Thursday that electronics retailer Best Buy will use Ford vans for its Geek Squad home service technicians.

Best Buy Co., based in Richfield, Minn., will buy 290 Ford Transit Connect compact utility vans and 738 Ford E-Series vans for its Geek Squad brand. Those employees will use the vans while they service appliances and install and service home theater equipment.

Terms of the van sales were not released. Best Buy previously used Chevrolet Express cargo vans, but said the Ford vans better fit the needs of its technicians.

Ford shares fell 10 cents to $11.23 while Best Buy shares slipped 40 cents to $32.08 in afternoon trading.

Source: AP

May

2011 Ford Transit Connect Taxi Compressed Natural Gas Car Technology

By Ron Olson Leave a Comment

Yellow car taxi with elegant design technology that will be new era of city transportation in the world! The 2011 Ford Transit Connect Taxi will go into production and arrive in dealerships in 2010 as a 2011 model, adding to Ford Motor Company’s leadership in the North American taxi market. We will make some detail review and price list including interior and exterior pictures gallery that can make you interesting to this new taxi car design concept. Creating the announcement at the 2010 Chicago Auto Show, Ford car maker also said it will launch engine prep packages on all 2011 Ford Transit Connect models – base and taxi – allowing conversion to efficient, clean-burning CNG (compressed natural gas) otherwise propane (LPG, or liquefied petroleum gas). The 2011 Ford Transit Connect Taxi, combined with an powerful engine modified by Ford to use CNG/LPG, is intended to meet that need. To further serve taxi operators, Ford will give required calibration specifications for the CNG or LPG conversion.

The 2011 Ford Transit Connect Taxi gives an excellent interior design package for people and cargo. Ford car Manufacturer Company is collaborating with Creative Mobile Technologies, LLC (CMT), to integrate premier payment processing and passenger information technologies in the Ford Transit Connect Taxi. Evidence of how this technology could work in the future is included in the Ford Transit Connect Taxi. The green taxi is not new at Ford car model concept that has been a leader in the taxi business for decades. Built on a dedicated commercial automotive platform and tested to Ford tough truck standards, the 2011 Ford Transit Connect Taxi – including gasoline-powered versions and those modified to operate on CNG/LPG – is planned to meet the extreme demands of taxi service.

Gerry Koss, Ford fleet marketing manager said that 2011 Ford Transit Connect already has proven that it provides tremendous versatility for commercial fleet use. The 2011 Ford Transit Connect taxi, combined with the capability for CNG/LPG conversion, further demonstrates its flexibility. Truly perfect taxi car for modern city transportation!

Click for more 2011 Ford Transit Connect Taxi Compressed Natural Gas Car Technology pictures gallery

Apr

Ford says auto future hinges on electric car

By Ron Olson Leave a Comment

Categories: Corporate, Design, Electric, Enviromental, Fiesta, Ford Cares, Ford Corporate, Future Vehicles, Green, Hybrids, Public Affairs, Quality, Transit Connect, fuel efficiency and technology
Tags: Bill Ford, Eco-Route, electric vehicle, environmental, Fiesta, ford, fuel efficiency, Green, hybrid, technology, TransitConnect

BY BRENT SNAVELY
FREE PRESS BUSINESS WRITER

Ford Executive Chairman Bill Ford closed out the SAE World Congress on Thursday with an endorsement of the future of electric vehicles.

“All the early cars were electric,” said Ford, great-grandson of company founder Henry Ford, at the engineers’ conference. “They’ve been around really for the past century or so, but they really haven’t had mass-market appeal.”

• Ford beats VW, takes No. 1 spot in Europe

But Ford said the automotive industry is rapidly changing.

Ford, an ardent environmentalist who worked for years to change the carmaker’s culture so that it would embrace environmental goals, said new technology makes it possible to introduce electric vehicles that appeal to mainstream consumers.

“It appears that the biggest game-changer will be electric vehicles,” Ford said during a speech in Detroit. “Our plan includes the introduction of five new high-mileage vehicles.”

Ford said the automotive industry must introduce more fuel-efficient vehicles in order to meet the challenges of diminishing oil reserves, global warming and a desire by customers to spend less money on gas.

“The majority of our efforts are aimed at fuel-economy leadership,” Ford said. “We want to provide affordable fuel economy for millions of customers.”

Over the next three years, Ford plans to introduce a Transit Connect Electric commercial van, a Ford Focus electric vehicle, two new gasoline-electric hybrids and a plug-in hybrid.

Ford also said the company is committed to improving the fuel economy of all of its new vehicles.

This summer, Ford plans to launch the Ford Fiesta subcompact car. Ford has said it expects the Fiesta will get 40 m.p.g. on the highway and 30 m.p.g. in city driving.

Ford also is introducing technology in the car to help drivers get the most out of their vehicles.

On Thursday, Ford announced that the company is adding a new feature for the company’s navigation software called Eco-Route.

Eco-Route will map the most fuel-efficient route to a destination and can help drivers achieve fuel-economy gains of up to 15%, the company said.

The feature is part of Ford’s MyFord Touch, a new system that controls all entertainment, climate and information systems in the company’s vehicle.

In addition to introducing new technology, Ford is gaining market share both in the U.S. and Europe. Ford’s stock closed Thursday at $13.76 per share, up 41 cents from its close on Wednesday and more than four times higher than its 52-week low of $3.27 per share.

The company, which typically reports first-quarter earnings at the end of April, is expected to report a profit of 30 cents per share, according to a survey of 12 analysts by Thomson One Analytics.

“Nobody is getting cocky, or overconfident,” Ford said. “Because, frankly, we’ve only taken baby steps on the long journey to where we really need to go.”

Feb

Chicago Preview: Ford Transit Connect Electric and CNG-powered taxi van

By Ron Olson Leave a Comment

Categories: Electric, Future Vehicles, Green, Quality, Transit Connect, ford, fuel efficiency, production line and van
Tags: cargo, Electric, ford, fuel efficiency, Transit Connect, van

Ford’s electric vehicle (EV) naming scheme is becoming clear: add the word “electric” to a vehicle’s standard name and presto, you’ve got the name of your new EV. Example Number One: the Ford Focus Electric. Example Number Two: the Ford Transit Connect Electric, which will get its official North American debut at the Chicago Auto Show this week. The 2011 Transit Connect Electric will go on sale into production later this year and will offer a range of 80 miles per charge and a top speed of 75 miles per hour. The van’s 28 kWh battery recharges in six to eight hours.

Businesses that like the style and practicality of the the Transit Connect but don’t necessarily think a plug is the way to go can choose a Transit Connect version that is powered by Ford’s engine prep packages that burn compressed natural gas (CNG) or propane (LPG, or liquefied petroleum gas). This model, too, will arrive later this year.

Continue reading ‘Chicago Preview: Ford Transit Connect Electric and CNG-powered taxi van’

Feb

Ford Unveils Transit Connect Electric Cargo Van, Will Enter Production This Year

By Ron Olson Leave a Comment

Categories: Electric, Future Vehicles, Transit Connect, ford, fuel efficiency, production line, technology and van
Tags: Cargo van, Electric, Force Drive, ford, fuel efficiency, Transit Connect

The Ford Motor company has just unveiled its first commercial electric vehicle. The Transit Connect Electric Cargo van will go into production in late 2010.

It is a small van weighing in at 3948 pounds with a wheelbase of 114.6 inches and a length of 1806. inches. It can hold from two to five passengers and a 1000 pound payload.

It is a pure electric vehicle utilizing a Siemens 3 phase AC induction motor and single speed transmission that offers 235 Nm of torque and a top speed of 75 mph on flat ground and 60 mph up 3 percent grade. It will do 0 to 60 in 12 seconds based on curb weight and 15 seconds based on gross vehicle weight rating.

Power comes from a liquid-cooled 28 kwh Johnson Controls-Saft lithium-ion pack that can be recharged in 6 to 8 hours at 240 volts using the industry standard J1772 SAE coupler. It has an 80 mile target driving range.

The vehicle is intended for commercial fleet use and is “well-suited for commercial fleets that travel predictable, short-range routes with frequent stop-and-go driving in urban and suburban environments and a central location for daily recharging,” said Ford in a press release.

The “Force Drive” electric powertrain is manufactured and integrated by specialty upfitter Azure Dynamics.

“We’re excited about the potential for our electrified vehicles,” said Praveen Cherian, program manager for the Transit Connect Electric, who added that today’s electric vehicle buyers are similar to early adopters of hybrid vehicles. “People were a little hesitant about hybrids at first, but now they accept it and embrace it. We expect the same will be true of electric vehicles.”

Ford says the vehicle will offer lower cost of operation than a comparable gas vehicle due to the low cost of electricity versus gas fuel and low cost of maintenance.

The vehicle including the battery pack is designed for a lifetime of 10 years/120,000 miles.

The current gasoline powered Transit Connect van won the 2010 North American Truck of the Year.

According to Ford spokesperson Jennifer Moore pricing has not been announced and will be “primarily for commercial use.” Ford ”would not exclude retail sales,” she added.

Ford has not yet determined whether the vans will be leased or sold.

“Volumes will be low to begin with to determine how the emerging market shapes up,” says Moore. ”Up to a thousand will be produced in the first full year of production.”

Ford also plans to bring out a pure electric Ford Focus in late 2011, and in 2012 they will produce their next generation C-class hybrid and plugin hybrid.