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Ford to Test Geofencing for Plug-In Hybrids in London

Ford Motor Co. and Transport for London will test geofencing to ensure that plug-in hybrid operate in electric-only mode in designated zero-pollution areas.
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City center zero-emission zones might allow plug-in hybrids, but only if such vehicles are operating in electric-only mode.

How to tell? Next year Ford Motor Co. and Transport for London will test geofencing as a solution, Automotive News Europe reports. The technique would use GPS to locate plug-ins and automatically switch them to electric drive when they enter a no-emission zone.

Ford will provide 20 Transit vans fitted with plug-in hybrid powertrains for the 12-month evaluation. The hybrid vans are scheduled to become commercially available in 2019.

The plug-in vehicles will be equipped with a 1.0-liter 3-cylinder gasoline engine used to charge a lithium-ion battery to power the vehicle. The engine is not connected directly to the van’s drive wheels. The system has an overall range of 500 km (310 miles)—or 50 km (31 miles) when the engine is switched off and the van runs only on stored battery power.

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