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Ford fuels choice of power with Transit

18th December 1997
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Page 18, 18th December 1997 — Ford fuels choice of power with Transit
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

by Toby Clark • The Transit will be the first Ford available in the UK with gas power, offered direct from Ford dealers from early 1999. Ford showed "alternative fuel vehicles" (AFVs) at the Motor Show, and announced that it would be "fuel-neutral" rather than deciding on a single type of conversion. Ford is already approving gas conversions by a number of firms: Hendy Power Products, Tickford Engineering and Perrys Engineering are the main companies involved. Ford will also make the Courier and Escort vans available in gas versions, as well as Escort and Mondeo cars. The

first vehicles available will be converted, Refuelling

but ultimately LPG—and compressed natural gas (CNG)-powered vehicles will be made at Ford factories.

Driving impressions

CM drove a "tri-fuel" Transit van converted by Tickford Engineering, capable of running on petrol, CNG or LPG. It is a development vehicle, but customers have shown interest.

Switching over from petrol to either gas supply involves switching the engine off, flicking a toggle switch and restarting. With gas power the engine is perhaps a little quieter, and there is a loss of power of around 10-15%, but in a lightly laden van the difference is hardly noticeable. Switching from LPG to CNG is even easier: on the move, you just flick another dashboard switch and, after a barely perceptible hesitation, carry on as before— sound and power levels seem identical. The split-second hesitation is programmed into the system because it is important not to have two fuels supplied at once. The van is based on the standard two-litre petrol Transit, with two completely separate alternative fuel systems. The drumshaped steel CNG tank is mounted on the loadspace floor, while the LPG "dough• nut" tank is mounted underneath the rear floor, where the spare wheel would normally sit. The 60-litre LPG tank gives a range of roughly 160-180 miles and adds about 20kg to the van's dry weight. CNG is rather less practical: the 90litre tank (pressurised to around 200 bar) weighs 40kg empty—without its mounting cradle or valves—and gives a range of just 100-110 miles. Refuelling takes longer, too: even a "fast-fill" CNG station fills the Transit in 15-20 minutes, compared with around five minutes for LPG. So why would anybody pay around £3,000 extra for a CNG-equipped Transit, or perhaps £2,000 for an LPG model? That depends on government policy—if the duty on CNG and LPG is frozen, gas becomes more attractive as the price of DERV goes up. According to Tickford's Malcolm Pratt, for gas customers "top of the list is fuel cost—it's not because they're green".

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