Cars - Ford Ranger EV

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	Cars - Ford Ranger EV

The Ford Ranger EV (Electric Vehicle) is a battery electric vehicle produced by Ford Motor Company. It was produced starting in the 1998 model year through 2002 and is no longer in production. It is built upon a light truck chassis used in the Ford Ranger. A few vehicles with lead-acid batteries were sold, but most units were leased for fleet use. A few persistent and interested private parties were able to obtain leases over a period of three to five years. All leases were terminated in 2003-04, and the vehicles were recalled.

Nickel metal hydride (NiMH) batteries offered

In California and some limited areas outside of California, a NiMH (nickel-metal hydride) battery version was offered, but only for lease. This version delivered a true 65 mile range (normal operation with some reserve; in comparison the lead-acid version is said to have a range of up to 65 miles with hard tires and careful driving). Note, however, that the above the line cost of this vehicle (before manufacturer discounts and other public agency subsidies) was $50,000.

Early life problems

There were numerous problems with the NiMH Ranger associated with an inability to accept a charge in hot environmental conditions, and some other problems requiring replacement of major components, but Ford successfully addressed these problems early in the vehicle's life cycle. There were some range issues around the 25,000 mile service life with the batteries, and due to the great expense of these batteries, Ford elected not to fix this range problem (a valid response under the lease terms). Some leases were continued despite the shorter range.

Performance

Considering the single speed transmission, performance is surprisingly acceptable. Early versions through the 1999 model year were programmed for a higher acceleration than later models, which could advertise a higher EPA mileage.

External appearance

The appearance of the front charging door in a grille location that is open on ICE Rangers, and the missing tailpipe and Hotchkiss drive and the visiblity of the EV's unique rear suspension and the traction motor from behind the vehicle are the principle identifiers indicating that this is an electric Ranger. From the side, the vehicle is almost indistinguishable from the ICE Ranger except for a modest script Electric on the side. Only the slight projection of the battery trays below the frame rails is noticeable at a distance. Vehicle height is close to that of four wheel drive vehicles.

Instruments

A miles to go indicator to the left of the speedometer is accurate only when the battery system is performing to specification, otherwise it may mislead the driver. A charge indicator at the lower left is in the place of the normal fuel gauge, but with underperforming batteries, cannot be relied upon owing to its tendency to decline from a full charge to about 3/4 and then drop to empty within a mile or two. Above the state of charge is a rate indicator showing energy usage and recovery.

At the upper right an off-run electric gauge will come up to the run position in a few seconds after Start is commanded by a keyswitch turn. This appears to show the pack voltage applied to the main bus upon start-run relay contact closure and the time delay probably reflects the charging of the motor controller's input capacitors. The vehicle's main contacts will not close until the pre-charge is complete.

At the lower right a temperature gauge monitors the liquid coolant temperature.

The usual speedometer and odometer complete the analog portion of the instrument panel.

Various indicator lights are included, one of which indicates that the truck is plugged in for charging. This is interlocked with the start circuit, disabling it if the Avcon paddle is inserted.

Charging

Charging is through an Avcon conductive connector, provided beneath a hinged door to the right side of the grille. A NiMH pack would take six to eight hours to charge, storing about 30 kW·h.

Controls

Ford attempted to make the driving and operating experience as similar as possible to that experienced in an ICE vehicle with an automatic transmission. A selector operates similar to that for an automatic transmission with the following positions:

Park
Reverse
Neutral
Drive
Economy

The economy position will reduce the maximum speed available, will also reduce the throttle response, and will engage energy recovery, and so is useful for long downgrades and when approaching a stop or for start and stop traffic. Drive is normally used only for freeway use.

A conventional switch arrangement is used to provide key inserted detection at Off, Accessory, Run, and Start.

Other controls are identical to that of the ICE version.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for Ford Ranger EV ]

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