This article is from page 28 of the 2009-10-13 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 28 JPG
AT the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show in September, Ford of Europe is re- vealing the first of a fleet of Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) prototypes based on the Ford Focus, and spe- cially developed to participate in the UK Government’s ‘Ultra-Low Car- bon Vehicles’ demonstration initia- tive next year.
The research programme aims to test the technology’s suitability for potential future application in Ford’s European passenger car range.
A consortium of Ford, Scottish and Southern Energy and Strathclyde University will use the fleet of fifteen prototype Ford Focus BEV vehicles and a charging infrastructure in and around the London Borough of Hil- lingdon from early 2010. The vehi- cles will be used by both the Scottish and Southern as well as a number of evaluation drivers located in Hilling- lore
This new BEV demonstration fleet is being developed partly with public funding from the UK Government’s Technology Strategy Board (TSB), which promotes innovative industry- led projects that reduce CO2 while benefitting the country’s transport Ao 00F
“Electrification is a key element in the effective use of Ford’s global re- sources and talents,” John Fleming, Chairman & CEO Ford of Europe said. “The development of this fleet of Focus BEV prototypes is an im- portant step in our goal of delivering more efficient and sustainable mobil- ity solutions that are affordable and practical for our customers. We are looking forward to working with the various project partners on develop- ing a realistic solution and viable market for electric vehicles both in the UK and Europe.”
The Focus BEV prototype is based on the current European Ford Focus
and will use a new all-electric pow- ertrain, provided by the strategic supplier Magna. This technology is based on that being developed for Ford’s new-generation C-sized glo- bal vehicle architecture and which will be launched in North America in 2011.
To evaluate whether this technol- ogy is suitable for European road and driving conditions, a fleet of fifteen European Focus BEV prototypes is being built. These cars will deliver local zero emission mobility with-
out constraining the user needs and providing room for five passengers, a practical boot and other Ford Focus AAO WL OLE Kone
Under the skin of the Ford Focus prototypes is a state-of-the-art lithi- um-ion battery pack with the capac- ity of 23kWh and a chassis-mounted 100-kilowatt permanent-magnet electric traction motor. The BEV will have a range of up tol20 km (75 miles) and a top speed of up to 136 km/h (85 mph). Charging the batter- ies will take between 6-8 hours using
a common 230 volt grid.
The prototype incorporates key components from Ford’s proven North American hybrid technology, including the electric climate control system. The high-voltage air-condi- tioning compressor is a key feature of the 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid, recently introduced in the North American market.
The successful co-operation that is allowing this UK programme to proceed also shows the potential for similar prototype vehicle fleets to be
considered for trials in other Euro- pean countries.
The Focus BEV prototype being revealed at Frankfurt joins the Ford Tourneo Connect BEV Concept which had its European debut at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year.
Like the Focus BEV prototype, the Tourneo Connect BEV Concept dem- onstrates how Ford Motor Compa- ny’s aggressive electric vehicle plan announced at the start of this year is extending its potential to Europe.