British electric commercial vehicle manufacturer Smith Electric Vehicles has teamed up with Ford to produce an electric version of the Ford Transit Connect.
The Ford Transit Connect, recently launched in the US, will be the first vehicle to become part of Ford’s electrification project.
The battery-electric version of the Ford Transit Connect will go on sale in the US in 2010, followed by a battery-powered passenger car in 2011 and a plug-in electric hybrid in 2012.
The Electric Transit Connect destined for the US market will be a development of the electric version of the Transit Connect, known as the Smith Ampere, that is already on sale in the UK and the rest of Europe.
The Smith Ampere runs on a 50kW (67bhp) electric motor supported by a lithium-ion iron phosphate battery pack, giving a range of around 100 miles and a top speed of 70mph. Expect the official Ford version to post very similar figures.
The US version of the electric Transit Connect will be assembled by Smith Electric Vehicles in the US, though Transit Connects will be shipped from Ford’s Kocaeli plant in Turkey.
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