Ford is celebrating a clean sweep of the light commercial vehicle awards season as the electrified Ford Hybrid Transit Custom line-up has been named International Van of the Year (IVoY) 2020, and the Ford Ranger is named winner of the International Pick-up Award (IPUA) 2020.

Ford is the first manufacturer to take both the IVoY and IPUA titles in the same year on two occasions, having first achieved the feat in 2013.

The new Transit Custom Plug-In Hybrid and Transit Custom EcoBlue Hybrid models were collectively judged winners of the prestigious annual IVoY award by a jury of 25 specialist journalists from 25 countries across Europe.

Jurors praised the range of electrified powertrain solutions offered by the Ford Hybrid line-up of Transit Custom vans – designed to help reduce fuel costs for operators, allow entry to the increasing number of low-emission zones and offer practical solutions for businesses trying to reduce emissions and meet clean-air targets.

The Transit Custom Plug-In Hybrid and Transit Custom EcoBlue Hybrid 1-tonne vans, and the Transit EcoBlue Hybrid 2-tonne van that earned the runner-up position at this year‘s ceremony, are three of 14 electrified vehicles Ford is introducing to Europe before the end of 2020. Ford has now won the IVoY title six times.

The Ford Ranger – Europe‘s No. 1 best-selling pick-up – impressed the 18 jurors with its more powerful and fuel-efficient 2.0-litre EcoBlue diesel powertrain and advanced driver assistance technologies to take the biennial IPUA title.

Combining zero-emission driving capability and no range anxiety, the Transit Custom Plug-In Hybrid can be charged with mains electricity for a pure electric NEDC driving range of up to 56km. The vehicle‘s front wheels are driven exclusively by a 92.9kW electric motor powered by a 13.6kWh lithium-ion battery pack. Ford‘s multi-award-winning 1.0–litre EcoBoost petrol engine acts as a range extender for a total driving range exceeding 500km.

The Transit Custom EcoBlue Hybrid‘s mild-hybrid powertrain uses a belt-driven integrated starter/generator in place of the standard alternator, enabling recovery and storage of energy during vehicle decelerations, and charging of a 48-volt lithium-ion air-cooled battery pack. The stored energy is used to provide torque assistance to the engine and has been optimised to deliver up to an 8 percent fuel efficiency improvement for Ford‘s further enhanced 2.0-litre EcoBlue diesel engine.