Skip to main content

London trials new Ford plug-in hybrid vans

Automaker Ford is launching a multi-million pound project designed to help improve air quality in London, as it accelerates its electrification plans with 13 new global electrified vehicles scheduled for introduction in the next five years. The project, supported by Transport for London, features a 12-month trial of 20 new plug-in hybrid (PHEV) Transit Custom vans that are said to reduce local emissions by running solely on electric power for the majority of city trips such as deliveries or maintenance w
January 23, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Automaker 278 Ford is launching a multi-million pound project designed to help improve air quality in London, as it accelerates its electrification plans with 13 new global electrified vehicles scheduled for introduction in the next five years.

The project, supported by 1466 Transport for London, features a 12-month trial of 20 new plug-in hybrid (PHEV) Transit Custom vans that are said to reduce local emissions by running solely on electric power for the majority of city trips such as deliveries or maintenance work.

Ford will provide the vans to a range of commercial fleets across London, including Transport for London’s fleet, to explore how such vans can contribute to cleaner air targets while boosting productivity for operators in urban conditions – the toughest working environment for vehicles. The project is supported financially by the UK Government-funded Advanced Propulsion Centre.

Scheduled to launch in autumn this year, the trial fleet will operate in everyday use across a cross-section of city-based businesses, using a Ford telematics system to collect data on the vehicles’ financial, operational and environmental performance to help understand how the benefits of electrified vehicles can be maximised.

The Transit Custom PHEV vans in the London trial are an advanced design that allows them to be charged with mains electricity for zero-emission journeys, while featuring an efficient on-board combustion engine for extended range when longer trips are required.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Passport roundtable examines London’s kerb space priorities
    March 19, 2019
    UK congestion is getting worse, in part due to the influx of deliveries coming into cities. At a roundtable discussion in London, software provider Passport examined new ways in which local authorities can work together to better manage the kerb. Ben Spencer listens in Competition for kerb space is one of the major conundrums of modern urban mobility. Some authorities are being creative about it, but good practice is not widespread. “There are individual pockets of good work going on with cities who a
  • Ford and Toyota announce hybrid and telematics collaboration
    April 18, 2012
    Ford Motor Company and Toyota Motor Corporation have announced they will equally collaborate on the development of an advanced new hybrid system for light truck and SUV customers. The two companies also agreed to work together on enablers to complement each company's existing telematics platform standards, helping bring more Internet-based services and useful information to consumers globally.
  • Solar traffic signals from SRL
    March 6, 2023
    SRL Solar Plus product can be retrofitted to existing kit and is available to hire
  • Sensor solutions cuts maintenance and emissions
    December 8, 2014
    The new raft of sensor technology can provide cost savings as well as additional functionality, as David Crawford discovers. Austria’s third-largest city, Linz, with a population of around 200,000, is recording substantial savings in its urban tram network within 18 months of introducing a new, high-technology approach to its public transport management. Tram, bus and trolleybus operator Linz Linien forms part of city utilities management company Linz AG, which has been carrying out a wide-ranging Smart Cit