ALTe Powertrain Technologies (ALTe) has announced the successful installation of its powertrain system in a second line of vehicles: the Ford Econoline E350 platform.
According to the company, ALTe had previously implemented conversions in Ford F150 trucks, and this new line will offer more choices to fleet managers who seek to convert their fleets to plug-in electric hybrids.
ALTe, which began engineering development on the Ford E350 platform in late 2011, says road tests revealed that this E350 cutaway chassis prototype can drive approximately 25 miles in an all-electric mode and then deliver nearly 15 mpg in a charge-sustained mode.
The company will deliver the E350 prototype to its first potential fleet customer for evaluation this month, with plans to build more prototypes for customer evaluations throughout the year. ALTe says it continues to target a Spring 2013 product launch date for the U.S. market.
