Ford is expanding its electric van range with the addition of a mild-hybrid Fiesta Van along with an all-electric 2-tonne Transit to come.
The company has also announced that its production version of the new Transit Custom plug-in hybrid has been approved for the Plug-in Van Grant, while the 2-tonne Transit will enter a new electrification phase in Europe with an all-electric Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV). A launch date for the electric Transit is to be confirmed.
Mandy Dean, Director, Commercial Vehicles, Ford of Britain, said that the Fiesta Van with the new hybrid powertrain due to be launched later this year promises to be a great option for small businesses looking to cut their carbon footprint.
“It’s the likes of the florists, the bakers and other traders forming the backbone of our communities that will find the Fiesta mild hybrid van will meet their needs and help to reduce their costs,” added Dean. “It’s a small, but perfectly-formed commercial vehicle and we anticipate that it will be a popular choice for many.”
The Fiesta Van will be available with mild-hybrid (mHEV) technology on 125PS variants of the 1.0-litre EcoBoost, targeting CO2 emissions of 96g/km and fuel economy of 56mpg (NEDC).
London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone was introduced just over a year ago, at the same time as trials of the Transit Custom Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV) were underway. The Transit Custom PHEV is now on sale and has since been approved for the Plug-in Van Grant by the Office for Low Emission Vehicles (OLEV), making it eligible for up to £8,000 off its list price.
The plug-in hybrid version gains geofencing technology as part of its FordPass Connect telematics package from later this year. This enables the vehicle to automatically switch to zero-emission driving on ‘EV Now’ mode when entering a low-emission zone, or a user-specified geofenced area.
FordPass Connect modems will feature as standard on all Ford commercial vehicles – Fiesta Van, all Transit and Tourneo family models and Ranger pick-up, and as an aftermarket option for Courier.
This technology will help ensure businesses comply with emissions zone requirements and reduce the likelihood of charges or penalties.
