Original URL: https://www.theregister.com/2009/03/03/ford_shows_ev_tourneo_concept/

Ford shows off e-van concept

Not weird, for a change

By Alun Taylor

Posted in Science, 3rd March 2009 12:46 GMT

'Leccy Tech Further proof that the tie-up between Ford and British electric van maker Smith EV is getting both broader and deeper came from Geneva today when Ford showed off its Tourneo BEV concept - essentially a Ford Tourneo Connect commercial people carrier with the Smith Transit Connect EV (né Ampere) electric drive train.

Ford Tourneo BEV

Ford's Tourneo BEV: easy to mass-produce - if there's demand

The Tourneo's technical specification is exactly what you'd expect from its Ampere underpinnings: a 21kWh lithium-ion battery pack driving a 50kW electric motor giving a range of 100 miles and a top speed of 70mph - 160km and 131kph, respectively.

Now this may not be quite as exciting as some of the flash 'leccy iron we're going to be deluged with over the coming week, but unlike the Protoscar Lampo or Rinspeed iChange, it's workaday vehicles like the Tourneo that we suspect will forge the path to widespread EV usage, especially in conjunction with public infrastructure projects like that just announced by One North East in the UK.

Ford Tourneo BEV

Forging the EV path?

According to John Flemming, Chairman and CEO of Ford Europe: "Although conceptual for now, if there is sufficient interest, this silent, zero-emission technology could be applied to the Tourneo Connect quite quickly. We think it would be an ideal solution for taxi use, as a hotel shuttle vehicle or similar inner city application."

Indeed. ®