Five Things to Know About Ford’s Electric Vehicle Plans

1. Electric Transit Coming in 2010
It seems that all automakers have electric cars in the pipeline these days and Ford is no different. Ford’s electric vehicle plan starts with an electrified version of its all new global Transit Connect commercial vehicle. Battery electric Transit Connects will be coming to American highways in 2010.

2. Smith Electric Vehicles is Upfitter
Ford has turned to Smith Electric Vehicles to handle the job of converting the standard internal combustion Transit into a battery powered vehicle. The most prolific electric vehicle converter in Europe, Smith Electric Vehicles has upfitted tens of thousands of vehicles to electric power since 1920. The company already offers a battery electric version of Ford’s Transit medium commercial vehicle to fleet customers in Europe.

3. Ideal for Urban and Fleet Use
The Transit Connect features a battery electric range of up to 100 miles, which Ford says is ideal for commercial fleets with short and predictable routes in urban environments. Because it’s electric, operating and maintenance costs are expected to be less than those experienced with an internal combustion model.

4. You’ll Pay for the Privilege
Driving electric apparently won’t come cheap since the Transit Connect will reportedly have a price tag somewhat above $50,000. That’s not an unusual thing since this vehicle is initially being aimed at commercial interests, and companies that step up to adopt advanced technologies early on have historically paid the price premium to do so. That price will need to migrate downward over time to make this a mass market electric vehicle for small business and consumer use, ultimately requiring lower battery cost and assembly line production in large numbers.

5. Small Electric Car is Next
While fleets are a logical starting point for electric vehicles, an effective electric vehicle plan must also include a focus on an expanding consumer base. Ford is doing this with a small battery electric car it’s planning to introduce in 2011 with new-generation hybrids and a plug-in hybrid coming the following year. The battery electric sedan coming next is being developed jointly with Magna International of Canada.