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Did Ford kill the Connect diesel and the SWB?


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Its my understanding that the diesel will not be available until later this year.  Although, I don't know why.  It is offered in the UK.  Maybe its a EPA certification thing.  Also, it will only be available in the SWB Van when it is released.

 

I was surprised that the SWB wagon (gas or diesel) is not available.

 

However, I was surprised that Ford quietly cancelled all sedans.  So who knows....  

https://www.autoblog.com/2018/04/25/ford-cancels-all-cars-mustang-focus-active/  

Edited by davidparker
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I have called numerous dealerships. Usually they don't even know the TC SWB exists. I finally got through (evening Jan 2, 2019) to the one selling me a TC SWB diesel who wrote the order the end of August, 2018, The same guy who had emailed me Dec 31, 2018 writing "The information from my Ford rep indicates that they should begin scheduling the SWB Transit Wagons with Diesel Engines sometime in the month of January.".
Now he is saying that the TC SWB's have been delayed and would not start issuing build dates before the END of April, 2019, and to expects my order to take 3 months more than that before it gets in my hands.

I'm losing the little trust I had with Ford dealers.

 

And it seems they quietly canceled the TC SWB, but I guess that does not count as a car :)

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I have to confess I never really expected them to follow through on the diesel, despite announcing it a year ago.  I think it was a brave move toward fuel economy on their part (as was downsizing the gas engine offering to 2.0), but the pervasive need to do 0-60 in seven seconds is winning for now.  Add to that diesel's real technical problems getting clean, its VW-inflicted problems playing fair, and its historical lack of acceptance for passenger power in the US, and it was a real eyebrow-raiser when Ford announced diesel power for the TC.  I was still hoping they'd follow through, looking forward to test driving one, and hoping for success for their new (in N.A.) EcoBlue powertrain... but I will hardly be surprised if these early hints that the engine is cancelled turn out to be true.

 

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I know it's a big paradigm shift, but the electric car solves all the technical problems of the clean diesels. Plus it easily passes the 0-60 test. Was it too crazy to think everyone would willingly pay $100+ monthly to carry a computer in their pocket that tracks their every move? Ford and the rest of the auto industry knows where their future lies. 

 

I really like my TC. But I also look forward to the days were oil, coolant and transmission fluids are not on my garage shelves.

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The sooner All the car companies get together and pick a standard battery shape and voltage then the electric car revolution will happen.   Portable electric tools only took off when the batteries could be removed and charged and a new battery would allow more work.

Edited by G B L
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6 hours ago, herb said:

Electric cars are a hard sell for many people especially automotive purists .  Even if they were superior in most every way many will never accept them .

 

 

Live in an apartment in The City.  Parking is on the street.  No way for me to reserve my own parking space with a charger.

 

I take a long road trip, and stop every 90 minutes when the battery runs out of electricity.  Then I have to find a charger in the middle of nowhere.  And spend hours charging before I can drive another 90 minutes.  Conservatively, at 65 MPH, driving 10 hours, I can cover 650 miles per day.  How far can I get with an electric car?

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2 hours ago, Fifty150 said:

 

 

Live in an apartment in The City.  Parking is on the street.  No way for me to reserve my own parking space with a charger.

 

I take a long road trip, and stop every 90 minutes when the battery runs out of electricity.  Then I have to find a charger in the middle of nowhere.  And spend hours charging before I can drive another 90 minutes.  Conservatively, at 65 MPH, driving 10 hours, I can cover 650 miles per day.  How far can I get with an electric car?

 

 

Apparently 650 miles .

 

So you must stop every 90 minutes when the battery runs out of electricity and then get out and push the vehicle until you locate a charger in the middle of nowhere  that might not even exist .  If you do find one at least you will be able to rest from all the effort you expended from needing to push the vehicle when it ran out of electricity since it takes hours to recharge for a mere 90 more minutes of driving  

 

After recovering from pushing the vehicle to find a place to recharge you get to do it all over again ,  this whole electric vehicle thing seems to need more development imo . 

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7 hours ago, Fifty150 said:

Live in an apartment in The City.  Parking is on the street.  No way for me to reserve my own parking space with a charger.

 

This can be done if and when there's enough interest. It was amazing to see a block heater post next to every single parking spot in Finnish towns when I first went there early 90s. That's because the need was there: it was cold in the winter and everybody had a block heater. Which is a bit circular but you get the idea.

 

Once the electric cars become more common the residential area owners will see the economy in setting up chargers on the street (which can also be used to run cabin heaters in the Northern territories). 

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I believe that our current generation of electric and hybrid is not the ultimate solution.  It is merely a stepping stone to help wean off gasoline dependency, and onto the next step in technology yet to be developed.  Surely, the future holds more.  Something better will be discovered.  This is just a small bump in the road.  One day, the Prius will be an antiquated museum piece, celebrated as the first step along the way to something better.  Sort of like looking back at the square wheel, and how that paved the way for the round wheel.  And if child labor did not exist during the industrial revolution, we would not have robotic assembly lines.

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The current hybrid tech is very much different from the first generation of hybrids. You can even go at highway speeds in EV mode only and take short trips in the city without ever firing up the combustion engine. It’s the perfect stepping stone towards all-electric without the range anxiety and need for another vehicle. The new Camry would be ideal if it were available in STW format. Sedans are retarded.

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Perfect if you can stop somewhere like a fuel station, pull out your depleted battery (core), and buy a full battery.  But that's not possible yet.  

 

Always talk of solar panels on cars.  

 

Perhaps a hydrogen fuel cell, drawing from dihydro-minoxide. Plenty of sea water.  

 

Compressed methane harvested from cattle manure.  

 

Solar hovercraft in above ground tubes.

 

Electro magnetic gyroscope unicycle, or solo wheel transport, which cannot tip over. Just 1 tire.

 

Perhaps with tomorrow's technology......

 

 

 

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Having worked in the power industry for 20 years, and an operator on the electric grid for 8, the thing about renewable energy that upsets me the most is that very few ever talk about it's true cost. It's such a heavily subsidised component of of the power generation industry, and we're all paying for it, either directly through taxes, or indirectly through our power bills. 

It's not that I'm against renewable energy; there is a place for it and it will continue to increase it's percentage share of our power generation. But what's it's true cost? Until that's known, we're all being fed a pile of B. S.

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