AUTO RED BOOK REVIEW: 2012 FORD TRANSIT CONNECT ELECTRIC

On The Cover Review: 2012 Ford Transit Connect Electric

Do you remember the gargantic Hummer H1? The military vehicle turned civilian that was the poster child for environmental destruction and excess fuel consumption? Yeah, well, the company that built that monster, A.M. General, is partially responsible for one of the most environmentally-friendly delivery vans on the market. Meet the new Ford Transit Connect Electric. The rig itself, minus drive train, is built by Ford Motor Co. in Turkey. The roller is then sent to A.M. General’s factory in Michigan, where it is fitted with a 640-lb lithium-ion battery pack and all the electronic equipment to turn this into an actual vehicle. The Red Book staff recently got the chance to get behind the wheel of a new Transit Connect Electric. Like many other all-electric vehicles, you can’t tell it’s running when you start it, which can be a strange sensation. It has lots of instantaneous off-the-line torque, but soon after you take off, power becomes underwhelming. Still, if you had a delivery fleet, and some way to keep these things charged up, they may be a smart choice for delivery fleets.