TfL and Ford to trial low emission Transit vans

Transport for London and Ford will be trialling hybrid Transit vans. The 12-month project will see a fleet 20 new plug-in hybrid (PHEV) Transit Custom vans that will run solely on electric power for the majority of city trips such as deliveries or maintenance work.

Ford will provide 20 PHEV Transits to a range of commercial fleets across London, including TfL’s fleet, to explore how such vans can contribute to cleaner air targets while boosting productivity for operators in urban conditions.

The project, which is scheduled to launch in autumn this year, is being supported financially by the UK government-funded Advanced Propulsion Centre.

Commercial vehicles in London make 280,000 journeys on a typical weekday, travelling a total distance of 8 million miles. Vans represent 75 per cent of peak freight traffic, with over 7,000 vehicles per hour driving at peak times in Central London.

“The freight sector’s transition to ultra-low emission vehicles is central to cleaning up London’s toxic air,” said Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London. “Transport for London continues to lead by example by increasing the number of its own vehicles that are electric and will find the data from these trials an invaluable resource for the LoCITY programme, which encourages the uptake of low emission commercial transport.”

The Transit Custom PHEV vans in the London trial can be charged with mains electricity for zero-emission journeys, while featuring an on-board combustion engine for extended range when longer trips are required. Ford claims to be the first volume manufacturer to offer PHEV technology in this segment of the van market.

The trial fleet will operate in everyday use across a cross-section of city-based businesses, using a Ford telematics system to collect data on the vehicles’ financial, operational and environmental performance to help understand how the benefits of electrified vehicles can be maximised.

“This project in London shows how innovative technology can help improve the prosperity and quality of life in our congested cities,” said Jim Farley, chairman and CEO, Ford of Europe. “Ford is the top selling commercial vehicle brand in Europe, so it’s fitting that this Transit plug-in hybrid is leading the electric vehicle revolution for business users.”

The automaker has revealed that it is accelerating its electrification plans with 13 new global electrified vehicles scheduled for introduction in the next five years. The Ford EV plan will see the company electrifying its most popular, high-volume commercial vehicles, trucks, SUVs and performance vehicles.

Development of the 20 Transit Custom PHEV fleet trial vehicles has been supported by a £4.7m grant from the UK’s Advanced Propulsion Centre. The vans are being designed and engineered in Britain at Ford’s Dunton technical centre, and at Prodrive Advanced Technology in Banbury with programme support from Revolve Technologies.

“The UK is a global leader in low emission motor technology. This new project, with nearly £5m of government money, has secured work here in the UL and demonstrates our commitment to not only reducing carbon emissions, but to work with industry on developing next generation technology that will make a real difference to people’s lives,” said Nick Hurd, climate change and industry minister.