The Azure Dynamics Transit Connect Electric is an all-electric van developed as a collaboration between Azure Dynamics and Ford Motor Company, but Azure was the official manufacturer of record.[2] Due to financial difficulties, production of the electric van was stopped in March 2012, as the company filed for bankruptcy protection in the Supreme Court of British Columbia.[3][4]
The official US Environmental Protection Agency all-electric range is 56 mi (90 km) and has a combined city/highway fuel economy of 62 miles per gallon gasoline equivalent (3.8 L/100 km equivalent) based on the five-cycle tests using varying driving conditions and climate controls, with the same 62 mpg-e rating for both city and highway. The energy consumption for combined city/highway was rated at 54 kWh/100 mi.[5]
Production began in December 2010, and full capacity was expected to be reached in April 2011 to produce between 600 and 700 units a year.[6][7] The Transit Connect Electric was produced using a vehicle glider at a Ford Motor Company facility in Kocaeli, Turkey and then shipped to Azure Dynamics U.S. upfitter, AM General in Livonia, Michigan, where the Force Drive™ electric drive train and other components are added to the vehicle. Azure Dynamics partnered with Johnson Controls-Saft to produce the lithium-ion battery pack used in the Transit Connect Electric.[6] The vehicle was badged with both the Ford Blue Oval and Azure's Force Drive logos, with Azure Dynamics being the manufacturer of record.[2][8] The company expected to produce between 600-1000 Transit Connect Electric vehicles during 2011, and planned to double that in 2012.[6][9][10]
According to Ford and Azure, the Transit Connect Electric has an all-electric range of up to 80 mi (130 km),[6][7] but the official US Environmental Protection Agency range is 56 mi (90 km).[5] The electric van has a speed up to 75 mph (121 km/h).[6][7]
The EPA rated the combined city/highway fuel economy at 62 miles per gallon gasoline equivalent (3.8 L/100 km equivalent) based on the five-cycle tests using varying driving conditions and climate controls, with the same 62 mpg-e rating for both city and highway. The energy consumption for combined city/highway was rated at 54 kW·h/100 mi.[5]
The first units were delivered to a select group through Azure's "LEAD Customer Program" in the U.S and Canada in December 2010, among the first customers were AT&T, Canada Post, the New York Power Authority and Southern California Edison. The Transit Connect Electric was priced at US$57,400, which more than doubles the price of the gas-powered version even after federal and any state or local incentives for electric vehicles are discounted.[6][7][11]
