Hybrid kit released for LCVs
A hybrid retrofit kit, designed for panel vans such as the Vauxhall Combo and Ford Transit, has been released by a UK-based firm.
Ashwoods Automotive is the company behind the kit, which makes owning a hybrid van accessible to more commercial vehicle operators. It can be fitted in less than four hours – less than one hour by a mechanic – and can reduce fuel consumption by as much as 25 per cent depending on the vehicle’s drive cycle.
This retrofit kit is designed to compete with not only other conversion kits on the market, but with the alternatively fuelled vans coming to the UK from next year. Heading this charge are the Renault Kangoo Z.E and the Ford Transit Connect Electric, which are both expected in spring 2011.
Ashoowds Automotive also has another kit that focuses more on reducing emissions; a stop/start engine system. This technology can reduce emissions by up to 10 per cent as is being used more and more by companies such as Vauxhall, who recently made it an option on the Corsavan.