Oak Park, Michigan – Hummer manufacturer AM General LLC will collaborate with Azure Dynamics to produce the all-electric version of the Ford Transit Connect commercial truck.
AM General will be responsible for final assembly of the Transit Connect Electric for the North American market from its engineering and product development centre in Livonia, Michigan.
The company will receive Transit Connect “gliders,” powerless vehicles without a conventional powertrain or exhaust system, from Ford’s manufacturing location in Turkey, and Force Drive electric components from Azure and supplier facilities in North America. The current production plan includes an initial run of vehicles in late 2010, with full production scheduled to begin in April 2011.
The Transit Connect Electric is powered by a lithium-ion battery pack and is among the first fully-electric vehicles available to the commercial market. The truck’s appearance will be identical to the standard Transit Connect, except for a Force Drive badge and specific information on the instrument cluster.
