Ford Sets the Standard for Electric Vehicle Sales
12 December 1997
Ford Sets the Standard for Electric Vehicle Sales
ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 12 -- Ford Motor Company
announced today a nationwide network of dealers to sell and service the 1998
Ranger Electric Vehicle (EV). The Ranger EV is now officially on sale.
Dealers from California to Florida will sell, service and repair the
Ranger EV pickup truck. Ford believes that selling EVs this way will make the
Ranger EV the number one choice for fleet customers around the country.
"We want our EV customers to know that they will receive the same service
and dealership knowledge they expect when they purchase any Ford vehicle,"
said John Wallace, director of Ford's Alternative Fuel Vehicles. "By
combining the solid driving performance of the Ranger EV with ease of service,
we've developed a package that really fits the needs of fleet customers."
Ford also announced the names and locations of the 40 new Ranger EV
dealerships, which are located in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado,
Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma and
Oregon. More EV dealers will be announced in the future.
To become certified to sell and service Ford EVs, dealerships must agree
to undergo rigorous technical and safety training. They are also required to
have their service center employees specially trained as EV technicians. Ford
will help provide the dealers with the necessary training and tools required
to service the Ranger EV.
"The dealer response to this program has been extremely positive," said
Wallace. "They realize that this is a new market that has a unique learning
curve. They also realize that by targeting fleet customers now, we are
helping to ensure a successful retail market in the future as battery
technology improves."
Ford has worked hard to set the industry standard in terms of ease of
service for the Ranger EV. From a unique diagnostic system that allows the
39-module battery pack to be evaluated in under one minute, to the fact that
just six bolts need to be removed to service the 2,000-pound battery pack,
Ford has designed the vehicle to spend it's time on the road, not in a service
bay.
JOB ONE CEREMONIES
Earlier this week, company chairman Alex Trotman drove the very first
production Ranger EV off the line. The vehicle is built at the Edison
Assembly Plant in New Jersey, which has built the gasoline-powered Ranger
since 1982. The Ranger EV is produced on the same line as that conventional
truck.
After leaving the Edison plant, the vehicle goes to Ford's Electric
Vehicle Final Assembly (EVFA) operation in Detroit. There the truck is
completed with the addition of an electric motor/transaxle, battery pack,
electronic modules and other EV-specific components.
Based on the best-selling compact truck and the "Built Ford Tough"
tradition of Ford trucks, the Ranger EV offers the same reliability and
durability as the conventional truck.
Powered by lead-acid batteries, the Ranger EV has a "real world" driving
range between charges of approximately 50 miles, although it achieved a 77
mile range on the federal trade commission test, and accelerates from 0-50 in
12.5 seconds, similar to the gasoline-powered Ranger. The truck has been well
received by fleet customers, who generally have shorter, more predictable
driving patterns than retail customers.
"With nearly 15 years of EV research and testing behind us, we've
developed the most sophisticated battery management system available," said
Wallace. "This gives the Ranger a very high level of reliability and
performance that you can't get with most other EVs."
From its battery systems to its powertrain, the Ranger EV is loaded with
world-class components developed during EV research and demonstration
programs. In 1993, Ford launched its demonstration Ecostar program -- which
was powered by an advanced battery -- to gain real world EV experience with
potential customers. During the program, Ford gained more than one million
miles of EV driving experience.
Based on the knowledge accumulated during demonstration programs, Ford
engineers designed the Ranger EV's traction battery system to perform as part
of the overall vehicle, not as a separate component. The second-generation
battery management system monitors each of the 39 individually sealed, lead-
acid modules and continuously "talks" to other vehicle components, such as the
powertrain. This level of systems management ensures tight control of battery
condition throughout the pack, improving battery life and driving range, and
optimizing daily charging conditions.
SOURCE Ford Motor Company
