Canada Post gets one of the first Transit Connect Electric vans

One of the first Ford Transit Connect Electric commercial vans is earmarked for Canada Post.

With delivery by the end of this year, Canada Post has already committed to the purchase of nine more by the end of 2011.

“Canada Post is the first Canadian company to sign on to this exclusive and innovative vehicle program aimed at providing environmental solutions to the commercial delivery market,” said Scott Harrison, Azure Dynamics CEO.

“The transformative technology of the Transit Connect Electric reduces gasoline fuel costs to zero, produces no tailpipe emissions and is virtually silent as it travels through urban and suburban delivery routes…”

Azure Dynamics Corporation develops and produces hybrid electric and all-electrical power trains and has been working the Ford Motor Company on integrating the technology into its commercial vehicles.

“The new van’s electric drive performance attributes are well suited to fleets like Canada Post that have duty cycles characterized by predictable routes with frequent stop and go driving and high idle time,” the company said in a release.

The Ford Transit Connect Electric utilizes an advanced lithium-ion battery from Johnson Controls-Saft to achieve a range of up to 130 km (80 miles) on a single charge and is rechargeable using either a 240-volt or standard 120-volt outlet.

Commercial vans generally return to a central location at the end of each driving cycle making for easy overnight recharging.