Residents of the London Borough of Hillingdon will be among the luckiest motorists in the UK as they will be the first in Britain to experience Ford’s zero-emission technology.
Volunteer drivers in the borough will trial battery electric vehicle (BEV) prototypes of the Ford Focus – vehicles that have been designed specifically for the UK Government’s ‘Ultra-low Carbon Vehicles’ demonstration next year.
As many as 20 households will run the cars for a three-month period and will have access to a charging infrastructure that is expected to be installed in and around the borough from early 2010. Properties will also be provided with domestic charging points.
Councillor Keith Burrows, cabinet member for transportation, believes that Hillingdon is the ideal venue for the trial.
“As one of the largest boroughs in London with a high percentage of green spaces, Hillingdon has always been at the forefront of initiatives to promote greater respect for our environment and the health of our planet,” he said.
“We are delighted to be involved in this latest project which will see our network of charging points for electric cars grow as well as provide a unique opportunity for some of our residents to get involved.”
The Ford Focus BEV prototype has been based on the European Ford Focus and uses an all-electric powertrain from Magna. Each features a lithium-ion battery pack with the capacity of 23kWh and a chassis-mounted 100kW permanent magnet electric traction motor. It has a range of 75miles, with charge times taking between six and eight hours using a household 230V electricity supply. Its top speed is 85mph.
