Electric Vehicles Made Affordable in California with Incentives From Ford and Local Governments
2 April 1998
Electric Vehicles Made Affordable in California with Incentives From Ford and Local Governments
LOS ANGELES, April 2 -- Ford Motor Company today
announced a national purchase incentive of $5,000 toward the price of its
Ranger Electric Vehicle (EV) or, alternately, a national lease rate of $633
per month. When combined with state and local incentives, Ranger EV can be
leased in some parts of California for $499 per month, significantly lower
than the Ford national lease rate. Ranger EV is available to both fleet and
retail customers throughout the nation.
The Southern California Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD) is
offering $5,000 toward the lease or purchase of any electric vehicle by
residents or businesses within the SCAQMD region. The SCAQMD funds bring the
lease price of a Ranger EV to the $499 rate for a 36-month program.
For customers who wish to buy the Ranger EV, the Ford and SCAQMD
incentives total $10,000 off the purchase price of $32,795.
The lease program includes battery maintenance and replacement, if
necessary, at no cost to the customer throughout the 36-month lease. The
purchase program includes a 2-year battery warranty, with the second year pro-
rated.
To sell and service the Ranger EV, Ford has established a nationwide
network of dealers. Forty-four dealers in twelve states from New York to
California will sell, service and repair the Ranger EV. EV dealers are being
added as more customers express interest in the vehicle.
"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 Beryl Stajich, Ford fleet and AFV brand team manager. "By combining the
solid driving performance of the Ranger EV with ease of service, we've
developed a sales and service package that really fits the needs of fleet
customers."
Ranger EVs are already being delivered to fleet customers in California.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) accepted the keys to the first
Ranger EV at the Greater Los Angeles Auto Show in December. The vehicle will
be used primarily for mail pick-up and delivery but also may see limited duty
with FAA maintenance technicians at several airports.
The 1998 Ranger EV includes "Best-in-class" safety and convenience
features such as an on-board conductive charger, regenerative braking, anti-
lock braking system and emergency power-off. "This state-of-the-art vehicle
incorporates proven advanced technology developed at our world class
facilities and has been rigorously tested to guarantee it is 'Built Ford
Tough,'" said Stajich.
Among the advantages of electric vehicles are zero tailpipe emissions,
reduced maintenance and improved energy efficiency over the gasoline engine.
"We want people to take a second look and consider the Ford Ranger EV as a
fun-to-drive pickup truck that has the quality, reliability and durability
they have come to expect from Ford," added Stajich.
Other SCAQMD alternative fuel vehicle incentives include:
* South Coast Air Quality Management District - $3,000 for natural gas
vehicles
* San Diego Air Quality Management District - $1,000 for natural gas
vehicles
* Bay Area Air Quality Management District - Funding is available to
government agencies to off-set the cost of AFVs over gasoline vehicles
* Sacramento Air Quality Management District - Up to $800 for natural gas
vehicles
Ford is the leader in alternative fuel vehicle technology with the
broadest variety of AFVs of any automaker. In 1998, Ford offers a total of 12
vehicle models that run on either ethanol, methanol, propane, natural gas or
electricity. In the 1997 model year, 91 percent of all alternative fuel
vehicles sold in the United States were built by Ford.
SOURCE Ford Motor Company
