DUNTON, Essex, 26 November, 2020 – Ford will supply Sky engineers with 151 Transit Custom PHEVs this year to contribute to the company’s net zero carbon drive.
Only four months after the vehicle’s UK introduction, Sky has selected the UK’s first one-tonne van with plug-in hybrid technology for zero-emission driving as part of its commitment to be net zero carbon by 2030 – two decades ahead of the government’s target.
Neil Wilson, Ford fleet director, said: “Our new plug-in Ford Transit works for businesses driving in towns because its development included input and learnings from city-based fleets including Sky.
“They had one of the 20 prototypes Ford loaned 17 London fleets in total, to understand real-world usage by collecting data on the test vans’ performance. I’m delighted that this early access impressed Sky enough for Ford to win this important and valued order.”
As a result of the 12-month trial – which gathered 16 terabytes of data from 150,000 miles travelled, 1,800 battery charges and over 70% of journeys in London completed in electric mode – a geofencing feature specified on all vehicles by Sky was made available.
The geofencing module automatically switches the vehicle to electric mode when entering a low-emission zone, or any other area specified for zero-emission driving. The technology, which can be retrofitted, ensures that businesses comply with regulations and avoid charges or penalties.
Jeremy Darroch, Sky group chief executive, said: “This is an exciting move towards our Sky Zero commitment to be net zero carbon by 2030. The arrival of these Ford Transit plug-In hybrid vans means we are cutting emissions today, while working towards finding 100% electric solutions for tomorrow.
“The great strength of our business is its ability to adapt to change, and responding to the growing climate emergency is no exception. We want to work with suppliers and the government to speed up the transition to net zero fleets and ensure we have a strong charging infrastructure across the country.”
The Ford Transit Custom PHEV, which is eligible for the Plug-in Van Grant contributing 20% of the purchase price up to £8,000, has a zero-emission range of 35 miles, while operating with a full load and carrying the ladders required by Sky for most installations. The new additions deliver Sky a CO2 reduction of 90g/km, which is a CO2 saving of 60%, and will be assigned to low-mileage Sky customer engineers. The van’s battery pack is located under the load floor, preserving the full 6.0m3 cargo volume offered by the standard van.
Each van will debut the eye-catching new Sky Zero branding publicly to spread the campaign’s message across the country, encouraging others to #GoZero. Through its Sky Zero strategy, Sky will be making all its tech products more energy efficient, developing the world’s most sustainable film and TV studios and make every Sky original production, TV channel and film net zero carbon by 2030.
About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is a global company based in Dearborn, Michigan. The company designs, manufactures, markets and services a full line of Ford cars, trucks, SUVs, electrified vehicles and Lincoln luxury vehicles, provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company and is pursuing leadership positions in electrification; mobility solutions, including self-driving services; and connected services. Ford employs approximately 187,000 people worldwide. For more information regarding Ford, its products and Ford Motor Credit Company, please visit www.corporate.ford.com.
Ford of Britain has been sales leader in the U.K. for passenger vehicles and commercial vehicles for 43 and 54 consecutive years respectively, with Fiesta being the country’s top-selling vehicle for the last 10 years. The U.K. is Ford’s third-largest global market and accounts for around 30 percent of total Ford vehicle sales in Europe. Ford is pursuing leadership positions across mobility and electrified vehicles, launching 14 hybrid and electric vehicles this year. Ford directly employs around 6,500 people in the U.K., with thousands more employed in its extensive dealer network. The Ford Britain Dunton Campus in Essex is the home of its European commercial vehicle business group, the Ford of Britain national sales company, Ford’s banking arm – Ford Credit Europe – and powertrain engineering. Ford’s manufacturing operations are a UK export success story with around 85 percent of engines and all transmissions exported to more than 15 countries on six continents. The value of these exports, including machined engine components, is around £2.5 billion annually.
Sky is Europe’s leading media and entertainment company with 24 million customers across six countries, and is proud to be part of the Comcast group. Our 32,000 employees help connect our customers to the very best entertainment, sports, news, arts and to our own local, original content. Following the success of Sky originals like Chernobyl, we plan to double our investment in original content by 2024. We’re also developing a new TV and movie studio, Sky Studios Elstree, which is expected to lead to the creation of over 2,000 new jobs and generate an additional £3 billion of production investment in UK creative sector in the first five years alone.
Our technology allows Sky customers to watch what they want, when they want, how they want and connects millions of people to content they love. And our online streaming service, NOW TV, brings viewers all the enjoyment of Sky with the flexibility of a contract-free service.
