Detroit Edison getting some Ford Transit Connect EV vehicles
Detroit Edison President and Chief Operating Officer, Steven Kurmas, got two out of four Ford Transit Connect Electric vehicles at DTE Energy headquarters in downtown Detroit.
The Transit Connect Electrics will be used by Detroit Edison field crews performing repair and maintenance and operations to electrical lines and other equipment on the electric distribution system.
All-Electric Ford Transit Connect EV
Detroit Edison added all-electric Ford Transit Connect EVs to its fleet to see how electric commercial vehicles performed in real-world utility operations.
At the time, electric delivery vans represented a new direction for commercial fleets. Therefore, Detroit Edison had an opportunity to test the technology where it mattered most: on the road and in daily service.
“The addition of these all-electric Transit Connects to our fleet will help Detroit Edison advance the use of electric vehicles in a couple of ways,” Kurmas said.
Putting Electric Vans to Work
First, Detroit Edison wanted firsthand experience with EVs in normal field operations. Instead of relying only on laboratory tests or manufacturer projections, crews could put the electric vans to work.
That made a difference.
Drivers could evaluate range during actual routes. Meanwhile, fleet managers could track charging requirements, energy use and overall vehicle performance.
Moreover, Detroit Edison could determine which jobs worked best for an electric commercial vehicle. Routes with predictable mileage offered an especially interesting opportunity because vans could return to a central location for charging.
As a result, electrification could potentially reduce gasoline consumption without disrupting daily operations.
Learning How EV Charging Affects the Grid
However, Detroit Edison wasn’t studying only its own vehicles.
The utility also wanted to understand what would happen as consumers and businesses adopted electric cars in greater numbers.
Every EV represents a new electrical load. Yet when that electricity gets consumed matters almost as much as how much electricity drivers use.
For example, thousands of drivers plugging in immediately after work could create a very different demand pattern than vehicles charging overnight.
Therefore, utilities needed real-world information.
Detroit Edison could study charging behavior while examining its effects on transformers, distribution equipment and overall electricity demand. In addition, those lessons could help the utility prepare for larger numbers of EVs.
“We will learn firsthand how these vehicles perform in day-to-day field operations and how we can make the best use of their unique characteristics,” Kurmas said.
Electric Vehicles Become Part of the Energy System
At the same time, Detroit Edison faced a much bigger question.
What happens to the electric grid when thousands—or eventually hundreds of thousands—of vehicles plug in?
That question helped turn early fleet demonstrations into something much more important.
Consequently, these all-electric Ford Transit Connect EVs became rolling laboratories. They allowed the utility to study transportation and electricity as parts of the same energy system.
Furthermore, commercial fleets offered an ideal testing environment. Fleet operators often know where vehicles travel, how many miles they cover and when they return to their facilities. Therefore, charging can become more predictable.
Utilities can then use that information to prepare infrastructure and encourage charging when electricity demand is lower.
An Early Look at an Electric Transportation Future
Detroit Edison’s Transit Connect program also showed how quickly the role of an electric utility could change.
Traditionally, utilities supplied electricity to homes and businesses. However, electric vehicles created an entirely new category of demand: transportation.
Suddenly, the electricity grid wasn’t simply powering refrigerators, lights, factories and air conditioners. It could also power the vehicles traveling America’s roads.
That transformation made early EV fleet programs especially valuable.
Detroit Edison gained experience with electric vans. Meanwhile, the utility learned more about charging demand and grid requirements.
Most importantly, the program offered an early glimpse of a transportation system increasingly connected to the electrical grid.
These Ford Transit Connect EVs weren’t simply replacing gasoline vans.
They were helping utilities learn how to prepare for the electric transportation era.
The Ford Transit Connect EV Electric
The Ford Transit Connect Electric, a pure electric-powered version of the award-winning Transit Connect small van, is fitted with a Force Drive battery electric powertrain made by Azure Dynamics featuring Johnson Controls-Saft’s advanced lithium-ion battery technology. The all-electric, zero-emission vehicle has a target range of up to 50 to 80 miles per full charge, and will be rechargeable using either 240-volt or standard 120-volt outlets.
The vehicles were purchased from Suburban Ford of Sterling Heights, Mich., one of the first Transit Connect Electric-selling dealerships, and the first Ford dealership to offer a full line of gas, hybrid and electric vehicles.
More Information
Transit Connect Electric is the first product in Ford’s accelerated electrified vehicle plan, and will be followed by the Focus Electric, the C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid electric vehicles in 2012 and another next-generation hybrid vehicle later in 2012.
Source: Ford Motor Company
