Burlington Hydro Inc. is the first to own the REV 300 ACX – a converted Ford Escape – featuring zero emissions, Smart Grid capabilities, an impressive (scalable) 160 kilometre range, 144 kph top speed, and no degradation in vehicle performance or safety as a result of the conversion.

The retrofit of the light duty SUV into an advanced battery powered highway-capable electric vehicle was conducted by REV, or Rapid Electric Vehicle Technologies Inc.  REV developed its electric drive system specifically for fleet applications.  Headquartered in Vancouver, BC, REV Technologies Inc. is an international private company and a market-leading electric vehicle systems integrator serving end-users.  The CEO and President of REV, Jay Giraud, took his retrofit vision from blueprint to reality (the market roll-out stage) in under 2 years.

The REV is not a hybrid vehicle and it is not a concept car – it is a fully electric vehicle that will be in daily use in the Burlington Hydro and GridSmartCity^TM fleet. This is a first for this type of vehicle in Canada.

Technical information:

• 400V AC (alternating current) drive system – rated for 1.3 million kilometers  with no fatigue
• 100% reduction in tailpipe emissions, compared the 25-40 % reduction delivered by plug-in hybrids and 10 % reduction by hybrids.
• Lithium ion battery technology, the leading battery technology for electric vehicles today
• Charge process can be controlled remotely, such as from a Blackberry, Iphone or the  internet
• Intelligent power management controller which can operate the charging process with regard to preferences or limitations such as grid loading or price of electricity.
• Expected maintenance costs of 1/10^th of hybrids or conventional trucks
• Full slow-charge of approximately 15 hours at 120V / Full quick-charge of 3.8 hours at 240V. (‘fast-charging’ system is under development that will allow for full charging in less than one hour)
• “J1772 compliant” charging station connector, the expected standard for all electrical vehicles for user safety and to enable an integrated communication connection between the grid and the vehicle.
• Smart Charging Features:  4.5kW grid-tie inverter which connects seamlessly to the grid, Up to 28kWh energy available . 6.6kW on-board charger
• Intelligent Energy Storage System (iESS) capable of Peak shaving for power utilities, emergency power supply in commercial and residential buildings and storage for renewable power production.