Ford Ecostar
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| Ford Ecostar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Overview | |
| Type | Experimental vehicle |
| Manufacturer | Ford of Europe |
| Production | 1992-1993 |
| Body and chassis | |
| Body style | 2-door van |
| Related | Ford Escort Mk V |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 102.6 in (2,610 mm) |
| Length | 169.3 in (4,300 mm) |
| Curb weight | 3,110 lb (1,410 kg) |
The Ford Ecostar is an experimental electrically powered small delivery van that was built by the VCC110 Program Team in Dearborn, Michigan. A sodium-sulfur battery in the floor of the cargo area stored power for a 75 horsepower (56 kW) electric motor under the front hood. The Ecostar introduced the road-and-leaf logo now used on a number of Ford products.
Just over 100 Ecostars were produced, and used in fleet tests between 1992 and 1996 with over 1,000,000 miles (1,609,344 km) driven, collectively. The Ecostar averaged 94 miles (151 km) on a full charge, and demonstrated 155 miles (249 km) range in one test. However, on several occasions the battery burst into flame during use. For this, and several other reasons, Ford lost interest in the sodium-sulfur battery and turned to fuel cell concepts instead.
The product niche appeared to be a useful one and has led to a number of similar designs. While the 1998 Citroën Berlingo électrique was almost identical in performance and range, it just replaced the older 1991 C15 électrique. Ford is re-entering the market as well, with an electric version of the Transit Connect.
Ford developed the sodium-sulfur battery technology in 1965,[1] but had not continued to develop it for commercial use. Development was later picked up in Europe.
The experimental Ecostar was introduced to help develop all aspects of electric vehicle design, including engineering, supplier development, and market development. A "prototype-of-the-prototypes" was completed with lead acid batteries in 1992, giving a range of 30 mi (48 km); future planned models would include the new battery technology, providing an estimated range of 100 mi (160 km). Several similar models followed and were lent out for test drives with favorable results.[2]
A total of 80[1] to 105[3] "production-prototype" sulfur-powered Ecostars were hand-built starting in 1993, and used in fleet trials with several electric utility clients starting the next year,[4] including Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas & Electric, Allegheny Power, Commonwealth Edison, Detroit Edison, and the United States Department of Energy.[3] At the time, the cost of the battery was a significant US$46,000 (equivalent to $100,000 in 2024),[5] and the battery had a life of approximately one calendar year.[6] However, the vehicles were hand-built at a cost of $250,000, so the battery cost was not representative of a production version.[7] The total cost of a 30-month lease was US$100,000 (equivalent to $212,000 in 2024).[5]
The tests ran for 30 months. During the testing period, there were problems with the system, including two vehicles that burst into flame while charging.[5][8] The sulfur in the battery was flammable, a serious safety risk. The root cause of the fires was leaking sulfur, which corroded the connections between the cells. These corroded connections increased the resistance and the resulting heat was sufficient to melt the surrounding cells and cause a chain reaction. The program team was able to introduce a workaround that permitted the trials to conclude, but future Ford electric vehicles over the next five years would have to rely upon the older lead acid battery. ABB introduced a new version of the battery, but was unwilling to guarantee performance beyond one year.[6]
In late 1997, Ford announced a partnership with Daimler-Benz and Ballard Power Systems to introduce car-ready fuel cells,[9] and their experiments with the sodium-sulfur batteries ended.