TU-TESL

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According to foreign media reports, recently, Ford extended the testing of its PHEV to Cologne, Germany. In addition, Ford is testing plug-in hybrids on the streets of London and Valencia, Spain, to better analyze and demonstrate the practical benefits such vehicles can bring to the environment, commercial vehicle owners and operators. (photo source: Ford) Ford worked with five municipal teams and the city of Cologne to test nine Ford Transit custom plug-in vans and one tourneo custom plug-in hybrid mass transit vehicle in a variety of real world use cases. In addition, Ford will study how innovative geofencing and blockchain technologies can help accurately track and increase the "green mileage" of cars. Blockchain is a data security technology supporting some digital technologies, which can create permanent, time stamped data records, which can be saved on multiple computers, and can grow with the increase of new records or "blocks". Geofencing technology creates virtual geographic boundaries defined by GPS technology. Like other cities in Europe, Cologne has set up low emission areas to meet air quality challenges to prevent the passage of heavily polluting vehicles. However, it is very difficult for cities to implement and manage such areas, and it is also very difficult for drivers to know when and where to have driving restrictions. Therefore, Ford's geofencing technology and blockchain technology test can help. During the 12-month test in Cologne, 10 PHEVs participating in the test are equipped with Ford Internet system fordpass connect (recently, Ford also announced that the service will be free for life) vehicle cellular network modem, as well as a plug-in that can realize the function of geographical fence and blockchain. Once a test vehicle enters the controlled area (low emission area), its electric driving mode will be triggered and the zero emission "green mileage" will be recorded. The emission mode and time of vehicles entering and leaving the controlled area will be recorded in a safe distributed ledger (blockchain) to ensure that the emission data is fully stored and can be shared among relevant parties such as municipal authorities, vehicle or fleet owners. Dynamic geofencing technology also means that vehicles can be adjusted in real time to adapt to changes in emission areas. For example, in the future, cities can adjust or recreate controlled areas based on local weather or environmental conditions. When networked PHEVs enter such areas, they can automatically switch to low emission mode. Ford's experiments in London have shown that PHEV provides a solution for commercial vehicle owners to operate in cities with low emissions. Ford Transit custom and tourneo custom PHEVs can operate in zero emission mode, with a range of 56 km (35 miles) and 53 km (33 miles) respectively under NEDC conditions. Long distance travel between cities will be powered by Ford's 1.0-litre EcoBoost gasoline, which can be recharged to provide a total range of more than 500 km (310 miles) under NEDC conditions. The pilot project also makes Ford the official partner of the smart city Cologne project, which is jointly sponsored by the city of Cologne and rheinenergie, a regional energy supplier. It is a cooperation platform that can provide pilot technologies and services for partners in the region to protect the environment and promote energy transformation. Ford Transit custom is the first of its kind to offer a plug-in hybrid, which is now open for ordering, with the first vehicles to be delivered by the end of this year. Starting from the spring of 2020, when the vehicle enters the low emission area, the new geofence module can automatically switch it to zero emission driving mode. At present, the model is not equipped with blockchain technology, but it can ensure that enterprises comply with the regulations and avoid being charged or fined. Ford is the largest commercial vehicle brand in Europe. The Ford Transit model series set a sales record of 68800 vehicles in the second quarter of this year, an increase of 2.7% over the same period in 2018. Earlier this year, Ford announced that it would add a pure electric Ford Transit van to its transit range, which is expected to be mass produced in 2021.