Zoomi Life

Showcased at the Electric Drive Transportation Association’s 2008 conference, this Ford Transit van converted to plug-in electric by Smith Electric Vehicles (they’re calling the conversion the “Edison”) has some great potential for local delivery.

This style of van is very popular amongst delivery and small mobile repair firms because of its versatility, cargo capacity, and ease of use (especially getting in and out). These “Euro-style” panel vans are gaining a huge following and already have good performance and efficiency to start with. Ford’s Transit and Dodge’s Sprinter can be seen on streets all over North America doing IT repair/upgrades, mobile vehicle repair, and even big-rig tractor-trailer roadside fix-its.

This conversion of the Ford Transit shows that these vans are great targets for electric vehicles. First, the users rarely go outside of a 50 mile radius of their home port. Second, they rarely utilize freeways or fast-paced highways, usually staying in-city or on surface roads. Finally, they are in use everywhere and the maintenance and gasoline costs for them can be significant given the number of miles they travel daily and the amount of idle time they have in traffic and on the job.

All of these factors mean that these vans are prime conversion material. This Transit conversion, the Edison, has 44kW of Li-Ion Phosphate batteries (under the floorboards, no extra space required) and gets about 100 miles of range at 50mph. They have a 1-ton payload as-is, which is more than enough for these types of utility vans. Coupled with a small generator or hybrid engine setup, they could go even further and faster, if needed.

Smith Electric Vehicles has been around for a long time—about 80 years, actually. They produce road-going electric vehicles for commercial use around the world—mostly in Europe, they’re based in the UK–and are currently looking for a site to build an American factory for sales in North America. Their website states that they believe that this market is ripe for these vehicles now.

This Edison is one of three models, the other two being a pickup-style chassis cab and a 15-passenger minibus. Both have great marketability here in the states as well.

Here’s a great video review of the Smith Electric Ford Transit Van done by the guys over at MPGOmatic.com:

Source: MPGOmatic