Lightning Systems is taking its new LightningElectric Ford Transit on the road. From the company’s headquarters in Loveland, Colorado, one touring company will go west to California, with stops in Sacramento, San Francisco, Fresno, San Diego and Los Angeles, ending up at the at the Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo in Long Beach. Another will travel eastbound through Kansas City, Detroit and Albany, to culminate at the Equipment & Vehicle Show in Queens.

LightningElectric is a battery-electric drivetrain package for the heavy-duty Ford Transit, a long-time staple of commercial and government fleets. Ford’s vehicle warranty covers the base chassis. Ford QVM dealers and upfitters perform installations and service.

LightningElectric features a liquid-cooled battery pack from “a volume-ready world-class battery supplier.” It can be charged in 30 minutes with DC fast charging. Depending on battery option and drive cycle, payload capacity is up to 4,000 pounds. A Transit 350HD equipped with the LightningElectric drivetrain achieved 61 MPGe on EPA City routes and 66 MPGe on EPA Highway routes, compared to 13 and 15 MPG for an identically configured gasoline Transit.

LightningAnalytics, a cloud-based system that provides real-time drive, route and predictive vehicle health scoring, is available as an option with every Lightning Systems vehicle.

“The upcoming road show is a great chance for fleets to experience firsthand how quiet, smooth, and powerful the new LightningElectric is,” said Lightning CEO Tim Reeser. “It comes with all the benefits fleets expect from a Ford vehicle – interior comfort, warranty and top-class fit and finish – with the added benefits of a zero-emissions electric vehicle like instant acceleration and lower maintenance costs.”

“The LightningElectric is the full package,” Reeser added, “supported by the Ford eQVM program and Ford dealer network for service and base-vehicle warranty. Add our industry-leading efficiency numbers, with the current government incentives landscape, and it is easy to see why we are already having to add to our production capacity.”

Source: Lightning Systems