Tuesday, October 15, 2024
Electric VehiclesLatestNewsVehicle manufacturers

Ford to trial e-Transit in Europe

The all-electric version of the Ford Transit van is due to be trialled with customers imminently, the manufacturer has announced.

The e-version of the van, one of the most popular commercial vehicles across the continent, will be trialled in real-world conditions with large businesses including supermarket, home delivery, postal services and utility firms across Germany, Norway and the UK.

Ford’s European customer trials form part of a development programme for E‑Transit ahead of its launch in spring 2022. Beginning in late summer this year, the firm aims to confirm the vehicle can meet the same standards as its ICE version. The company’s engineers will use data from the trials to help refine the E‑Transit’s connected technology and range management features to offer an optimised operating experience for customers.

Prototype vehicles taking part in the trial – assembled at Ford’s global commercial vehicle centre of excellence in Dunton, UK – will include E-Transit van and chassis cab variants with conversions including refrigerated bodies, box vans, dropsides and interior racking. European E-Transit customers will be offered a generous choice of body, length, roof height and Gross Vehicle Mass options from launch, giving 25 possible variants to suit a wide range of businesses.

E-Transit’s load area is common with diesel-powered Transit models for ease of conversion, and to allow Transit operators to reuse existing racking with the all-electric van. A ProPower Onboard system delivers up to 2.3kW through standard plugs to power conversions and equipment in the cab and load area. Anticipated payload is up to 1,616kg for vans and up to 1,967kg for chassis cab models.

E-Transit’s all-electric powertrain delivers up to 200kW of power for a targeted WLTP range of up to 217 miles supported by range-boosting technologies including an eco-mode and scheduled pre-conditioning. Ford expects service cost of ownership to be approximately 40% lower compared with internal combustion engine-equipped models due to lower maintenance needs.

Speaking about the trial, e-transit chief programme engineer, commercial vehicles, Ford of Europe, Andrew Mottram, said: “Real-world trials are an important step on our journey to deliver the all-electric E‑Transit and will give us an even better understanding of how to help customers across different industries enhance their productivity using zero-emission power.”

Sign up for our essential
newsletter service.

Enter your details here.