2015 Chevy City Express Van Good For 25 MPG

GM’s answer to the Ford Transit Connect is the 2015 Chevy City Express, which netted a combined 25 MPG rating thanks to a particularly high city rating of 24 MPG. GM managed to accomplish this using a 2.0 liter four-cylinder engine matched to a CVT transmission.

That resulted in a 24 MPG city rating and a 26 MPG highway rating for an even 25 MPG combined. This compares favorably to the Ford Transit Connect, which manages up to 30 highway MPG using the 1.6 liter EcoBoost engine, but just 22 MPG around town. Small vans like this tend to do most of their driving in urban environments, acting as delivery or contractor vehicles for local vendors.

The starting price of $22,950, just a little bit cheaper than the Transit Connect’s MSRP of $23,130, and the 20 interior cargo points plus six floor-mounted D-rings allow a wide range of payloads to be safely seccured. The dual rear-sliding doors open up to 122.7 cubic-feet with a maximum payload of 1,500 pounds, and with urban driving in mind GM saw fit to give it a tight turning radius of 36.7 feet, all of which are similar to the Transit Connect. One might say the only difference between the two delivery vans is whether you prefer a blue oval or a bowtie badge on the front of your van.

Or you could just go the New York way and opt for the Nissan NV200 instead, which is smaller, but cheaper as well. Your call, chief.

Source: Gas 2.

Ford Confirms New 5-Cylinder Diesel For North America

While European automakers like Volkswagen have not been shy about importing diesel engines from Europe, Ford has been coy, even going so far as to say diesels don’t “make sense” for America. But the Blue Oval seems to have changed its mind with the announcement that the Ford Transit van will be available with a 3.2 liter 5-cylinder diesel engine right here in North America.

The press release doesn’t specifically say the U.S., though the engine will be installed in Ford’s Claycomo, Missouri assembly plant, which received a $1.1 billion investment to build the new Transit van. The Transit van will also be one of the only vans on the market available with a turbocharged engine in the form of an EcoBoost motor.

The 3.2 liter DuraTorq engine option is good news for Ford fans, who were limited to diesel offerings in Ford’s big Super Duty pickups. Rated at 197 horsepower and 347 ft-lbs of torque, in the global Ford Ranger platform this engine has enough power to tow a locomotive…literally.

Alas, Ford still doesn’t seem to have any plans on bringing the Ranger to America. Yet a fuel-efficient five-cylinder diesel engine is a great first step to re-introducing America to the potential of clean diesel. The engine is also expected to be B20 biodiesel compatible,and in the Ranger can deliver an average of 28 mpg, though some drivers have reported 35 mpg or more during testing.

Diesel is making a comeback in America…and even Ford is getting on board.

Source: Ford

Ford and Azure Dynamics introduce Transit Connect Electric passenger wagon

Ford Motor Company and Azure Dynamics Corporation are introducing a passenger wagon version of the Ford Transit Connect Electric. The wagon is a logical next step for Azure and Ford which first introduced an electrified Transit Connect in December 2010.

To create the Transit Connect Electric wagon, Azure integrates its Force Drive electric powertrain into the Ford Transit Connect XLT Premium Wagon. Using a liquid-cooled 28 kWh lithium-ion battery from Johnson Controls, Transit Connect Electric wagon can achieve a range of 55 to 80 miles (86 to 129 km) on a single charge depending on driving conditions and ancillary power usage. The wagon has a top speed of 75 mph (121 km/h).

Wagon owners will have the option of recharging Transit Connect Electric with either a standard 120-volt outlet, or preferably a 240-volt charging station, typically installed at the user’s base of operations for optimal recharging in six to eight hours. The vehicle’s charge port is located above the passenger-side rear wheel well in the spot typically used for conventional re-fueling.

The Transit Connect Electric wagon is built on a dedicated global van platform and offers a unique combination of car-like driving dynamics, significant cargo capacity, accessibility, and low operating costs.

The partners suggest that the wagon is especially well-suited to campus settings such as those found at universities, military bases, health care facilities, airports and private businesses where frequent short-range routes are commonly traveled.

With the addition of the new Transit Connect Electric wagon, we expand our product portfolio and offer our commercial customers more versatility to meet their transportation needs with fully electric operation. As a derivative of our successful Transit Connect Electric cargo van, the wagon shares a common electric drive integration and glider helping to keep additional development cost low.

—Scott Harrison, Azure Dynamics CEO

Like its cargo van sibling, the Transit Connect Electric Wagon qualifies for the $7,500 federal incentive in the United States. In addition to federal incentives, fleet owners in California can receive an additional $15,000 incentive from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) for the first Transit Connect Electric van or wagon purchased for deployment in California. Subsequent purchases of Transit Connect Electric vans or wagons will qualify for an incentive of up to $12,000, with a maximum of 100 vans per customer.

Since its introduction in December 2010, more than 450 Transit Connect Electric vans have been purchased by commercial vehicle fleets including AT&T, Canada Post, DHL, FedEx Express, and Post Norway. Other early adopters of Transit Connect Electric include energy providers and private businesses seeking to better understand and utilize the benefits associated with electrified transportation.

Source: Green Car Congress

Bright IDEA plug-in hybrid delivery van, prototype

Startup Bright Automotive announced last week that, once the company completes its funding, its advanced plug-in hybrid Idea delivery van would be assembled under contract by AM General.

That's the outfit that built the Humvee and Hummer, and spawned the now-defunct HUMMER brand, including the HUMMER H1 and HUMMER H2--which AM General also assembled.

Bright wants to put its Idea van into production by 2014, for sale to commercial and government fleets, and its projected sales volumes make contract manufacturing feasible.

GM invested in Bright more than a year ago through its GM Ventures unit, and the company also has several other private investors.

But Bright still awaits a verdict from the Department of Energy on its application for low-interest loans under the DoE's advanced technology vehicle manufacturing program--which previously granted loans to Ford, Nissan, and Tesla, and then Fisker.

The Bright Idea delivery van is built to be exceptionally lightweight, and an electric motor powers the rear wheels--providing a very low load floor inside the van body.

It offers up to 40 miles of electric range from a 13-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack, after which a front-mounted four-cylinder engine drives the front wheels through a conventional transmission--an arrangement known as a "through-the-road hybrid."

Running on the engine, the Bright Idea is projected to return 36 miles per gallon, and provide a total range of about 400 miles.

But over a blended daily route of 80 miles, the last 40 miles would use roughly 1.1 gallons of gasoline, making the effective overall gas mileage an impressive 70 mpg. A 60-mile route would boost that number above 100 mpg.

Bright IDEA plug-in hybrid delivery van, prototype

That's far higher fuel economy than any light-duty delivery vans today. The 2012 Ford Transit Connect small delivery van, which uses a 2.5-liter gasoline engine, is rated by the EPA Mat 22 mpg city, 25 mpg highway.

And running costs are the main interest of fleet managers, who make far more rational purchase decisions based on overall total cost of ownership than do retail car buyers.

Those fleet buyers will pay more up front if there's a payoff in lower running costs down the road. That's the promise of the Bright van, whose cost to recharge overnight for those first 40 miles of electric range is just a small fraction of the cost-per-mile of running on gasoline.

Granted, Bright Automotive has many miles to go before its Idea van will roll into distributors for commercial sale.

But we rather like the idea that the plant in Mishawaka, Indiana, that formerly saw HUMMER H1s rolling off the lines may one day build plug-in hybrids with fuel efficiency perhaps 10 times as good as those HUMMERs.

Source: Green Car Reports

Azure Dynamics to begin integrating plug-in hybrid technology in Ford F-Series Super-Duty Trucks; F-550 is first in 2013

Azure Dynamics Corporation has entered an agreement with Ford Motor Company whereby Azure will integrate its proprietary plug-in hybrid (PHEV) technology into the Ford F-Series Super Duty product line.

In collaboration with Ford, Azure’s plug-in hybrid technology will be initially integrated on Ford’s F-Series Super Duty cab and chassis, the F-550, which is expected to be available in early 2013. The agreement also allows Azure to perform hybrid powertrain conversions on other Super Duty platforms including F-350 and F-450 models and spans all engine, frame length and regular production options and configurations.

The Super Duty program will allow Azure to further expand its product line-up in its targeted medium duty commercial truck segment.

The Azure/Ford agreement includes a ‘ship-thru’ provision that permits Azure to place vehicles in the Ford transportation system and allows qualified Ford Commercial Truck dealerships to sell and service the product in key markets in North America.

The Ford F-Series Super Duty has a more than 50% share in the North American market. The commercial cab and chassis industry supports approximately 100,000 vehicles per year and is the preferred active work-truck for thousands of commercial fleets managing a broad range of logistical needs. The Super Duty offers several diesel and gasoline engine options and a variety of cab, bed and accessories options.

The new PHEV F-Series program further expands the Azure/Ford business relationship. Azure and Ford teamed up in 2009 to bring the Transit Connect Electric to market in just 13 months after the program was first announced. Prior to the Transit Connect Electric development, Azure and Ford collaborated on the E-450 cutaway and strip chassis to create the Balance Hybrid Electric, a truck or shuttle that achieves up to 40% fuel improvement while reducing emissions and maintenance costs by up to 30% each.

Balance Hybrid Electric has 60% share in the medium duty (class 2c – V) hybrid commercial truck market in North America and is deployed in fleets such as AT&T, CINTAS, DHL, FedEx Express, and Purolator.

Source: Green Car Congress

FedEx Express doubles and diversifies all-electric fleet with 24 new units; adding more than 4,000 new, fuel-efficient vehicles in total

FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. is adding more than 4,000 new, fuel efficient vehicle. As part of that, within the next two months FedEx Express will place 24 new all-electric vehicles into service, expanding to three new cities and more than doubling its fleet to 43 all-electric vehicles while growing the diversity of suppliers it uses for electric vehicles.

At the same time, FedEx Express will be adding more hybrid-electrics, using composite vehicles and upgrading more than a tenth of its conventional vehicle fleet to more energy-efficient vehicles.

FedEx Express is bringing new all-electric delivery vehicles to New York City, Chicago and Memphis, and diversifying the existing Los Angeles fleet. In all, FedEx will add into service 15 Navistar eStar electric vehicles, two Freightliner Custom Chassis Corporation (FCCC) eCell electric vehicles and two FCCC electric vehicle retrofits, and five Ford Transit Connect Electric vans to complement the current 19 all-electric vehicles deployed in Los Angeles, London and Paris.

These vehicles will be studied to help evolve all-electric vehicle technology and to establish a foundation of understanding on utility grid needs by modeling impact of future all-electric vehicle growth on the shared energy grid.

• In New York, FedEx Express will be working with GE and Columbia University’s Engineering School to study energy grid impacts in an effort to project how large vehicle deployments would impact the energy grid.

• In Chicago, FedEx Express will be comparing different all-electric vehicle technologies to determine what works best for its fleet needs.

• In Memphis, FedEx Express is retrofitting existing vehicles to make them all-electrics, saving resources through using existing vehicle bodies. FedEx has added five Transit Connect Electric vans from Ford Motor Company and Azure Dynamics to support the corporate Information Technology Asset Disposal program, driving regularly scheduled routes to pick up, recycle, reuse and dispose of IT assets.

• In Los Angeles, FedEx Express is diversifying its fleet, adding an FCCC eCell to its current four Navistar eStar all-electric vehicles, and is in the midst of adding 45 new FCCC-Eaton hybrid-electric pickup and delivery vehicles to its fleet.

Different vehicles are appropriate for different routes. The key is to use the right truck for the mission on the right route. FedEx Express is adding all-electric and hybrid-electric vehicles to dense urban routes that have a lot of starting and stopping. This use of regenerative braking and electric motors significantly improves the efficiency of the vehicles on such urban routes.

On high-mileage routes, FedEx is upgrading vehicles with 4,000 fuel efficient, lower emitting BlueTEC clean diesel Sprinter Vans. Each Sprinter is at least 100% more fuel efficient than the most commonly found alternative it replaces. Since launching our first Sprinter in 2000, we have put close to 1.4 billion miles on these more fuel efficient vehicles, saving over 66 million gallons of fuel compared to their predecessors.

—Keshav Sondhi, manager of Asset Management for FedEx Express Global Vehicles

FedEx Express has also been piloting five composite vehicles from Utilimaster in Detroit, Memphis, Jackson, Tenn., and Jonesboro, Ark. Dubbed “The Reach,” it is able to achieve 35% better fuel economy than its predecessor and has been performing well. The smaller, more efficient engine and low weight of the composite materials, which includes recycled rubber material, resin, fiberglass and poly core, compared to aluminum, allows the vehicle to achieve these fuel efficiencies.

Source: Green Car Congress

Ford Transit Connect CNG taxis headed to LA, Chicago, Las Vegas and St. Louis

Ford Transit Connect compressed natural gas taxi – Click above for high-res image gallery

The next time you hail a cab in Chicago, IL or Los Angeles, CA you could be jumping into the back seat of a vehicle that's fueled by compressed natural gas (CNG). That's because in Chicago, Taxi Medallion Management will put a dozen Ford Transit Connect CNG taxis into service as part of an event celebrating the increased presence of CNG in the city. T. Boone Pickens will be there!

Meanwhile, in the Los Angeles-area, cab companies have ordered nearly 120 Ford Transit Connect CNG taxis. Other places are jumping on the CNG taxi bandwagon, too. In Connecticut, two cab companies have ordered a total of 70 CNG-fueled Transit Connect Taxis and soon, some CNG-burnin' Transits will ship out to Las Vegas, NV and St. Louis, MO. Even Philadelphia, PA is expected to join that list after city officials there approve the CNG-fueled people-hauling machine for taxi service.



Source: Autoblog Green

Transit Connect Electric receives GSA contract award; estimated value more than $112M

Azure Dynamics Corporation announced that the Transit Connect Electric, the result of a collaborative effort between Azure and Ford Motor Company, has received a GSA Contract Award allowing US government agencies, affiliated companies and military installations to purchase the all-electric van.

The Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) award is a four-year contract consisting of a base year ending 31 August 2011 and three one year options, exercisable by the government, that extend the contract through 31 August 2014. The GSA estimates the value of the contract over the four year period at more than $112 million. The contract is administered through Brasada Ford LTD., (d/b/a Northside Ford) in San Antonio, TX.

GSA clearly points out that its estimated $112 million contract value over the four year period is neither an indication of future sales, nor a guarantee of actual sales. This GSA award serves as a channel for potential future government orders. Transit Connect Electric will be available through GSA beginning this month for immediate ordering. Northside Ford will administer the sales and fulfillment activities associated with the GSA award. Northside Ford has 18 years of history selling vehicles to the government.

GSA is an important instrument in support of the Administration’s initiative that all new cars and trucks purchased by the federal government starting in 2015 will be hybrids, electric vehicles or other alternative-fuel vehicles. The government operates a fleet of more than 600,000 vehicles, purchasing approximately 60,000 to 70,000 new vehicles annually.

Source: Green Car Congress

Introducing The Ford Transit Connect Electric Van

Ford Transit Connect Electric Van









At the Chicago Auto Show we will get a good look at Ford's all-electric delivery van, the Transit Connect. The preliminary specs make us wish we could have this van for a daily commuter. Look for the Transit Connect to be here by year's end.

From Gas2.0:

Commercial vehicle sales are a big part of Ford’s portfolio, and most commercial buyers are looking for two things; efficiency and utility. Knowing this, Ford elected to import its popular Transit Connect light van to America beginning last year. The Transit has already proven rather popular with commercial buyers, selling 2,000 units in the first month. The Transit was even popular with the motoring press, who elected it the 2009 Truck of the Year.

Keeping the momentum, Ford plans to unveil an all-electric version of the Transit Connect at the upcoming Chicago auto show, which should make it the first mass-market electric truck or van to come to the U.S. market.

The Transit Connect Electric should be available some time later this year. Rather than perform the conversions themselves, Ford has elected to hire Azure Dynamics, based in Detroit, to convert them. We won’t know the details surrounding the Transit Connect Electric, but expect a range somewhere between 80-100 miles and a top speed of 70 mph… more than enough for local deliveries. Ford is clearly aiming the TC electric at small business owners with defined routes, so it should be on the affordable side too (under $50,000 if they want to sell any, under $35,000 if they want to sell a lot).

Obviously, with a full payload, the TC electric probably won’t be going 100 miles. But even having the option of buying an electric fleet vehicle goes to show how far we’ve come in just a few short years. All it took was a global recession, skyrocketing gas prices, and the threat of impending climate dooooooooooom. But a bit of a fan club has popped up around these vans, and there is even a forum dedicated to them. The van is cool again!

I wonder it they are going to make a camper version? Hmm…