Hybrid van research delivers insight into future of our cities

Our latest research has shown how emerging technologies such as blockchain and dynamic geofencing can combine with hybrid-electric vehicles to help improve air quality in cities. 

Twenty Transit Custom Plug-In Hybrid and Tourneo Custom Plug-In Hybrid vehicles (PHEVs) were put through their paces across a variety use cases by businesses and municipal fleets in Cologne, Germany, and Valencia, Spain. 

The research investigated how employing innovative technologies such as dynamic geofencing and blockchain could help hybrid-electric vans offer a practical alternative to diesel vehicles for general-purpose work in and around cities.

One part of the research even created a unique refrigerated van with an electrically powered chiller unit. The van successfully operated through Spain’s hot summer to deliver meals and pharmaceutical products to vulnerable people sheltering at home from Covid-19, covering up to 90 per cent of its mileage in the Valencia low-emission zone in pure electric mode.

Testing in Cologne featured new dynamic geofencing technology that constantly adjusts low-emission zone borders in response to local air quality readings. Building on the existing geofencing feature in the Transit Custom PHEV, the vehicles were able to switch automatically to zero-emission electric-drive mode to maximise air quality benefits where they were most needed. The ‘green miles’ driven within the low-emission zones were also recorded in a blockchain so they could be securely stored and shared among relevant parties, supporting fleet compliance with local emissions controls. 

The studies are the final step in a three-year program assessing over 400,000 km of real-world use, and were carried out in partnership with local businesses and administrations to discover how vehicle connectivity can make for more efficient, sustainable cities in the future.

Mark Harvey, director, enterprise connectivity, Ford of Europe:

“Our pioneering research demonstrates that operators of all types really can get the best of both worlds with PHEV technology, electrifying fleets for improved sustainability without compromising on productivity. Our latest studies in Cologne and Valencia show the additional sustainability and compliance benefits that connected technologies such as geofencing and blockchain can bring to cities, citizens and operators.”

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