Ford Ranger EV: Электр көлігінің тарихы мен ерекшеліктері

The Ford Ranger EV (Electric Vehicle) is a battery electric compact pickup truck that was produced by the Ford Motor Company and was the automaker's first all electric production vehicle. It was produced starting in the 1998 model year through 2002 and is no longer in production. It is built upon a light truck chassis used in the Ford Explorer. Most vehicles were sold with nickel–metal hydride batteries (NiMH). A few vehicles with lead acid batteries were sold, but most units were leased for fleet use. as of 2022, an active owner's community continues to maintain and upgrade these trucks.

The above the line cost of this vehicle (before manufacturer discounts and other public agency subsidies) was Ford Motor Credit supported a generous 3 year lease program that would, along with AQMD (Air Quality Management District) funding and Federal Tax Credits, allow for a RangerEV 3 year lease payment as low as per month. An example is the Lawrence Livermore/Berkeley Labs, in eco friendly Northern California, signed on for 20 units from Ford Motor Credit, with a total lease cost to the Labs of $0 over the 3 year lease term. Thanks to overwhelming financial support from government funded Clean Cities programs and AQMD Grants, when applied towards an APP (All Payments Paid) version of the RangerEV commercial lease the resulting lease became Paid In Full. The Ranger EV qualified for a California Clean Air Vehicle decal, enabling access to carpool lanes for single occupant vehicles through 2018.

The Ranger EV was essentially a Ford Ranger XL 4x2 regular cab featuring an electric vehicle powertrain instead of the Ranger XL's standard I4 engine. The only difference between a Ranger XL and a Ranger EV was that the Ranger EV had no engine, so the tachometer that was on the Ranger XL was replaced by an estimated range remaining gauge on the Ranger EV, the oil pressure gauge was also replaced with an On/Off indicator, and the voltage gauge was replaced with an economy gauge. Other than these minor differences, the Ranger EV included the standard features that the Ranger XL 4X2 Regular Cab included as standard: an AM and FM radio, two speakers, fifteen inch alloy wheels, a bench seat or bucket seats trimmed in cloth, air conditioning and a heater, an automatic transmission, two airbags, seating for either two or three passengers, a passenger airbag on/off switch activated by the vehicle's ignition and door key, and vinyl flooring. Additional options, such as a spare tire, a cassette and/or CD player, two additional speakers behind the front seats, power windows and door locks, and keyless entry were also available for all Ranger EVs. Most Ranger EVs were painted in Ford's standard Oxford White Clear Coat with a Flint Gray interior; other exterior colors included: Bright Red, Medium Platinum, Light Denim Blue Metallic, Boysenberry Blue Metallic, and Pacific Green Metallic. No other interior color options were available.

The principal identifiers of an electric Ranger are the appearance of the front charging door in a grille location that is open on ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) Rangers, the missing tailpipe, and the visibility of the EV's unique rear suspension and the traction motor from behind the vehicle. From the side, the vehicle is almost indistinguishable from the ICE Ranger except for a modest script Electric on the side. Only the slight projection of the battery tray below the frame rails is noticeable at a distance. Vehicle height is close to that of four wheel drive vehicles despite being only rear wheel drive, due to the vehicle being built on a 4WD frame, and utilization of the heavier duty 4WD front torsion bar suspension.

The front underhood compartment contains the charger, an electric air conditioner, the power steering mechanism, the power brake unit (otherwise conventional), a radiator for the air conditioner, and a vacuum pump and reservoir for the power brakes, a reservoir for the windshield washer, and a reservoir for the motor/inverter coolant. To the rear of the rear axle (the usual location for the spare tire) is the AC motor controller. The spare tire could be secured by a hold down within the truck bed, apparently on the centerline approximately 30 inches from the cab wall. it was not possible to carry both a spare tire at this location and cargo in this central space.

To improve aerodynamics, the bed is covered by a vinyl snap on cover supported by aluminum bows. Snap receivers slide within aluminum channels. A rear bow allows the tailgate to be opened without removing the cover. The cover can be quite difficult to re snap under cold conditions due to shrinkage and stiffness of the vinyl material. The unmodified cargo bed was compatible with after market tonneau covers produced for gasoline engine models.

Ford attempted to make the driving and operating experience as similar as possible to that experienced in an ICE vehicle with an automatic transmission. A column shifter style selector operates similar to that for an automatic transmission with the following positions: P for park, R for reverse, N for neutral, D for drive, and E for economy. The economy position reduces the maximum speed and engages regenerative braking). A conventional switch arrangement is used to provide key inserted detection at Off, Accessory, Run, and Start. Other controls are identical to that of the ICE version. The heating system uses a ceramic core resistance heater. Air conditioning is provided with an electric motor driven compressor condenser evaporator system.

The Ford Ranger EV was built upon a Ford Ranger four wheel drive chassis.

Dual A arm with torsion bar suspension, since 4wd frames are used for the Ford Ranger EV.

The rear suspension consists of a De Dion tube that located the wheels and which was sprung by the usual longitudinal leaf springs. The first year of production (1998) used lightweight carbon fiber monolithic leaf springs which had insufficient lateral stiffness to provide lateral location of the suspension; these early versions also featured a Watt's linkage. Later versions used conventional steel leaf springs and did not have the Watt's linkage.

The rear wheels are powered by a six pole alternating current motor operating through a (single speed) three to one reduction transmission and differential. The motor can produce and can operate at a maximum speed of 13,000 rpm. The motor, transmission, and differential are contained in a single unit mounted high between the frame rails, transversely between the rear wheels. Half shafts angle downward to drive the wheels.

All wheels including the spare are made of cast aluminum. Tires are low rolling resistance, similar to what would be found on a full size sedan, rather than on a truck. 1998 and 1999 wheels were of the same, simple design. Later models had wheels of a large 'spoke' design.

Idaho National Engineering Laboratory, Advanced Vehicle Testing Results 1998 (lead acid)1999 (NiMH)Acceleration0– At 100% SOC 11.6 sec 10.3 sec At 50% SOC 12.3 sec 11.2 sec Max Power 87.4 kW 84.13 kW Performance Goal 13.5 sec at 50% SOCMaximum speedat 50% SOC At At 1 mile (2 km) Performance Goal in 1 mile (2 km)Constant speed range   At At At At Range 86.9 mile (140 km) 57.9 mile (93 km) 115.0 mile (185 km) 74.2 mile (119 km) Energy used 20.63 kWh 20.60 kWh 27.81 kWh 26.83 kWh Average power 10.71 kW 21.41 kW 10.94 kW 21.52 kW Efficiency 237 Wh/mile 356 Wh/mile 242 Wh/mile 362 Wh/mile Specific energy 23.7 Wh/kg 23.7 Wh/kg 57.3 Wh/kg 55.3 Wh/kgDriving cycle range Range 65.1 mile (105 km) 82.4 mile (133 km) Energy used 21.96 kWh 25.95 kWh Average power 9.54 kW 8.32 kW Efficiency 337 Wh/mile 315 Wh/mile Specific energy 25.2 Wh/kg 53.5 Wh/kg Performance Goal 60 mile (97 km)Notes:

On a very long downhill run one could obtain a noticeably higher state of charge than at the top (3000 feet (914 m) elevation difference), so the energy recovery was demonstrably effective.

Power consumption for light duty suburban use is around 500 watt hours per mile, both by the EPA figures for early models and by some owners' experience. The Ford Ranger EV controller electronics will allow strong acceleration even when in 'E' economy shifter mode. Thus a heavy foot will reduce the EV's range.

Batteries are contained in one big battery box that is bolted to the underside of the vehicle. It can be removed using specialized shop equipment. Individual batteries are then serviced and replaced from the open top of the module. The battery layout inside the box is not the same for the Lead Acid and NiMH battery type. The Lead Acid setup is using 39 x 8V batteries setup on two layers. The NiMH setup is using 25 x 12V batteries on one layer.

The lead acid battery pack consisted of 39 valve regulated lead acid modules assembled by East Penn Manufacturing for Delphi, with a weight of , a nominal system voltage of 312 V, and a nominal capacity (to half of the fully charged capacity) of 60 Ah.