Ford Press Release: Electric Ranger Pickups Go on Sale this Summer
04/26/96
ELECTRIC RANGER PICKUPS GO ON SALE THIS SUMMER NEW YORK, April 22 -- The summer air will be filled with a new sound this year -- the quiet hum of electric vehicles based on Ford Motor Company's popular compact pickup truck, the Ranger. The electric Rangers will be produced and built in conjunction with Transportation Design & Manufacturing, Inc. (TDM), a Michigan-based vehicle development and manufacturing firm, under Ford's innovative electric vehicle (EV) Qualified Vehicle Modifier program. Through the program, Ford provides gliders -- Rangers without drive systems, transmissions or other components -- to qualified conversion companies who can then more efficiently and cost-effectively install electric drivetrains. The TDM vehicle represents the first automaker-authorized EV available for sale around the country this year. "Today's event is a great opportunity for people to take their first test drive of a real EV," said Mike McCabe, marketing manager, Ford Electric Vehicle programs. "We are excited that these EVs will be in the hands of fleet customers so soon and we anticipate positive, useful feedback from the TDM customers." Ford and TDM will introduce driveable prototypes of these Rangers this month as part of a "Clean Air Fair" tour the companies are undertaking with Black & Decker Corporation and local utilities in Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and New York City. TDM POISED TO COMPLETE STRINGENT PROGRAM GUIDELINES Building the driveable prototypes is the next-to-last step for TDM in completing the conversion guidelines developed for the program. The TDM EV Ranger will use an advanced lead-acid battery that give customers a range between charges of about 50 miles and a payload of 500 pounds. The vehicle also fully meets Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. "This vehicle is one of the most sophisticated, reliable EVs available for sale today," says Bill Roberts, President and CEO of TDM. "The Ford EV QVM program has allowed us to assist Ford in moving forward quickly, efficiently and cost-effectively on this important EV program. We are confident the strict quality and safety standards we have put in place with Ford, will make this TDM EV Ranger a leading edge product in our nation's move to alternate fuels and clean air." TDM EV RANGER PART OF FORD'S OVERALL CLEAN CAR STRATEGY The TDM EV Ranger is just one of Ford's many clean-vehicle technology initiatives. Ford currently offers the broadest variety of "clean" vehicles in the industry, including the cleanest internal combustion car ever certified for sale in the U.S., the California Air Resources Board (CARB)-certified ultra low emission vehicle (ULEV) natural gas Ford Crown Victoria. Last December, the best-selling small car in the U.S., Ford Escort, as well as the Mercury Tracer, became the first ever CARB-certified low- emission vehicles (LEV) from a domestic auto manufacturer. The LEV Escort and Tracer join Ford's other low-emission vehicles, which include: six TLEV models for sale in California -- the Ford Probe equipped with a 2.0-liter engine; Ford Ranger and Explorer equipped with the 4.0-liter engine; Ford Crown Victoria; Mercury Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town Car. Ford AFVs also include Taurus FFV, that operates on either a methanol- or ethanol-gasoline blend; natural gas-powered F-Series trucks and Econoline vans; and a propane-powered F-700 medium duty truck and F-Series pickup.