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Smith and Ford to produce electric Transit Connect
Page 9
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SMITH ELECTRIC Vehicles used the CV Show to announce that it is entering a joint venture with Ford, and plans to break into the high-volume distribution market with the launch of the Ampere — an electric version of the Transit Connect. Both this and the current Transit-based Edison will he jointly branded as both Smith and Ford.
Darren Kell, chief executive officer of Tanfield, the parent company of Smith Electric Vehicles, says: "We now have a vehicle which has the payload and performance to match its diesel equivalent. Payload is 820kg, it has a top speed of 70mph and a range of 100 miles.
He is optimistic the Ampere will open up a huge market for Smith and attract a "multitude of new customers who operate in urban areas". Sales are likely to be boosted further still if Ford agrees to sell both vans through its UK dealer network. When it goes on sale in the autumn, the Ampere will cost roughly twice that of a regular diesel-powered Connect. Running costs are an estimated 1.5p per mile, and, according to Kell, payback will be about three and a half years.
In the US market. Smith will sell both the Ampere and, eventually, the Edison. Its US production facility will also produce electric versions of the Ford F350, F450, F550 and F650.