Five fleet operators in London will participate in a pilot program to evaluate Ford’s new Transit Custom plug-in hybrid van, starting this fall. The project, supported by Transport for London, features a 12-month test of 20 new Ford Transit Custom plug-in hybrid vans.

London’s Metropolitan Police will deploy 5 of the vans: one marked for second response to traffic accidents, one unmarked as a forensic support unit, and 3 for freight duties.

The other fleets participating in the pilot are Transport for London, Clancy Plant, Addison Lee and British Gas.

Using a Ford telematics system, each van will collect data on the vehicles’ financial, operational and environmental performance to help understand how to maximize the benefits of plug-in vehicles.

“Over the past 50 years, the Ford Transit has been the UK’s favourite commercial vehicle,” said Andy Barratt, Chairman and Managing Director, Ford of Britain. “Our customers have always been at the centre of our development, so working directly with our fleets is vital in delivering an electrified CV that adds value to the many different businesses going in and out of our cities every day.”

The Transit Custom plug-in hybrid van is planned for commercial introduction in 2019.

Source: Ford