Intermountain Rural Electric Association has purchased an electric vehicle, the Ford Transit Connect Electric Van, which was delivered on July 6,  and is the first Transit Connect to be delivered in Colorado.  The van is fully electric, meaning it runs on battery power only and has no gas engine.   This vehicle will be evaluated by IREA as part of the Association’s effort to prepare for potential customer use of electric vehicles in the near future.  We will publish information on mileage, charging time, cost of operation and other performance characteristics as we put the vehicle through its paces.

The Ford Transit Connect has an estimated range of 70 miles, and its maximum speed is limited to 75 mph, so it is well suited for local, around-the-town trips.   There are several advantages of this type of electric vehicle: 1) Since it requires no petroleum products, it can reduce our dependence on foreign oil and produce no emissions; 2) It can be charged from an ordinary 110V outlet; 3) It can be charged at night, off-peak, when demand for electricity (and, thus, its cost, using our time-of-use rate) is lower.

IREA will make the Transit Connect available to IREA customers for test drives.  Interested customers should contact Tim Graham, 303-688-3100, extension 346.