There’s more support for an electric future in the automotive industry.  A year-long study has just wrapped up in the United Kingdom.  It focused on using hybrid vans.  A fleet of 20 plug-in hybrid Ford Transit prototypes were used by 16 companies participating in the study.  During the trial, pure electric power was used for 75-percent of the fleet’s mileage in Central London and 49-percent in the Greater London area.  Coordinators of the study point out even without a fully established electric vehicle charging network, the hybrid vans were able to reduce tailpipe emissions in the inner city.

Ford says what they learned will be used when the production model of the Transit Custom Plug-In Hybrid goes on sale later this year 2019.  They’re also planning to add a new all-electric Ford Transit to their European line-up in 2021.  Ford also plans to conduct trials in Cologne, Germany and Valencia, Spain, to get a better idea of how plug-in hybrid vans operate in the real world.