Commercial van owners need to make a commitment to going green. With many hours and miles spent on the roads every day, you can’t afford to drive a fleet that exudes mass amounts of carbon emissions. It’s bad for the environment, polluting the air around you and contributing to climate change, affecting each and every one of us.
Thankfully, there are solutions to this problem, and the Ford Transit Custom Hybrid is one of them.
Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle
The Ford Transit Custom Hybrid is a PHEV, becoming one of the first vehicles in its class to offer a hybrid engine option.
With a PHEV, batteries are used to power an electric motor, while an additional fuel source is used to power an internal combustion engine. The electric batteries can be charged via electric vehicle charging ports around the country, or by the engine itself. There’s also regenerative braking technology that converts some of the energy used when braking into an electrical current that powers up the battery.
The purpose of a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle is to use the electric motor as often as possible, only using the combustion engine on long journeys or when the batteries run out. As a consequence, fuel emissions can be lowered as the engine runs less frequently and emits fewer carbon gasses.
Ford EcoBoost Diesel Engine & Battery-powered Electric Motor
Transit Custom Hybrid van uses an electric motor in conjunction with Ford’s 1.0-liter EcoBoost engine. The batteries powering the motor are 13.6 kWh and can be charged by any commercial or residential electric vehicle charging port. When using a commercial port, a full charge can be achieved in under three hours, while a residential one will take just under four and a half.
The van comes with selectable EV modes that allow you to choose where the drive power comes from. There are three different options to play around with:
- Electric motor only
- Petrol engine only
- A combination of the two
When using the third option, Ford technology figures out how best to distribute the power to keep fuel emissions as low as possible. It seeks out a fuel-efficient combination that means you still generate fewer CO2 emissions than a regular commercial vehicle.
Capable Of Zero Emission Driving
When the electric motor mode is selected, you can drive your Ford Transit Hybrid without releasing any emissions at all. It will function as an EV for a total NEDC driving range of up to 35 miles.
As with all PHEV, you get the benefit of the petrol engine kicking in to charge the battery on-demand. It keeps the electric motor powered and can extend the range up to 343 miles combined. Of course, you also get additional electrical energy captured through regenerative braking technology. Whenever the vehicle decelerates or brakes, energy is captured and transferred into electrical energy that powers the batteries, further extending the range of the van.
Improved Air Quality
A unique feature of the Ford Transit Custom Hybrid is that it uses geofence technology. Ford itself has conducted studies on the effectiveness of hybrid vehicles, concluding that they can help to improve urban air quality. This is because they can use electric technology to drastically reduce emissions to zero – or as close to it as possible.
With geofencing in the Transit Hybrid, the van detects when it has entered a zone that needs to be low-emission. These zones are often set up by local authorities as a way of reducing emissions in urban areas. As soon as the van detects it is in one of these zones, it will automatically switch to electric-only driving mode, ensuring no carbon emissions are created.
That’s not all! You have the ability to create your own custom green zones on a map. This could be near schools or in residential areas where you might want or need to reduce emissions. Again, when the Transit Custom Hybrid enters your custom green zones, it switches to the electric-only driving mode. This is an exceptionally useful feature for commercial van owners that are looking to make their businesses as green as possible.
Longer Journey Durations
Trials by Ford have revealed that their range of Ford Transit Custom Hybrids has helped commercial van owners across Europe. The hybrid technology has one key advantage that’s not available in either fully electric or petrol/diesel vehicles. The ability to switch between driving modes and charge the electric batteries on the go means that longer journeys are possible.
This has allowed businesses to travel further when required, without needing to stop to refuel. The inclusion of the EcoBoost engine also means that the vans aren’t trapped by charging port availability. The engine can charge the batteries, so all that’s required are petrol stations – of which there are always plenty.
It all means that drivers can enjoy the best of both worlds. Zero or low emission driving, but without compromising practicality. The van functions as normal, but with the added benefit of hybrid technology making it greener.
All The Features Of The Ford Transit Custom Diesel
You will be pleased to know that the Ford Transit Custom Hybrid includes all the features you can find in the diesel engine versions of this van. There is absolutely no reduction in payload or load volume, meaning you can still store as much as you like in the van. It’s powerful enough to handle up to the maximum loads, and the body type is exactly the same, meaning you get the same amount of space.
If you are looking for a commercial fleet that will help you cut your carbon emissions and move forward to a greener future, look no further than the Ford Transit Custom Hybrid. The first PHEV in its class, this van features innovative technology that makes driving a breeze. The ability to switch between driving modes lets you enjoy zero-emissions driving whenever you want, and the petrol engine is designed to work as efficiently as possible. It’s a van that solves all the problems associated with electric-only vehicles, yet still produces much lower emissions that its diesel counterparts.
Blue Transit Custom