Ford takes the wraps off its electric Transit at the NEC

Date: Thursday, September 2, 2021 | Author: James Dallas

Ford gave a European public debut to its E-Transit at the Commercial Vehicle Show on 31 August.

The large electric panel van will have a price tag of £42,695, excluding VAT and the Plug-in Van Grant, which will reduce the price by a further £6,000, when it comes to market at the beginning of 2022. The manufacturer says the chassis cab version of the model will cost about £1,000 less.

The E-Transit comes with 68kWh battery capacity, which provides a claimed range of up to 196 miles on the WLTP cycle. An electric motor with outputs of 135 or 198kW delivers 430Nm of torque, according to Ford, while payloads extend up to 1,758kg in a line-up that includes 25 variants with van, double-cab-in-van and chassis cab body styles covering multiple lengths and roof heights with gross vehicle weights from 3.5 to 4.25 tonnes.

The E-Transit is available with a ProPower Onboard feature, which delivers up to 2.3kW from standard plug sockets in the cab and load area to power tools, lights, laptops and conversions such as refrigeration units.

Ford Pro, the manufacturer’s sales and servicing division for commercial vehicle customers, will help operators facilitate depot, home or public charging. The depot charging solution will include both hardware and installation, as well as smart software tools to enable businesses to schedule and optimise their vehicle charging, says Ford.

Through Ford Telematics, fleets can manage the payment of public charging as well as organise the reimbursement of employees who charge vehicles at home. Drivers can also locate charging points and bill for charging while on the road via the Ford Charge Assist app integrated into the E-Transit’s new SYNC 4 communications and information system and accessible via the 12-inch touchscreen. Ford says the E-Transit can be charged from 15 to 80% in 34 minutes from a 115kW DC fast charger. An overnight full charge from a standard 230-volt AC supply takes around eight hours.

The E-Transit is available in two grades, Base and Trend. Base comes with standard features including Electronic Air Temperature Control, SYNC 4, keyless start, heated seats, Quickclear Windscreen and heated power mirrors, plus connectivity through the FordPass Connect modem, a lifetime subscription to FordPass Pro or Ford Telematics Essentials, access to the FordPass charging network for a year and a one-year subscription to Ford Telematics for fleet customers. The Trend series adds satnav, cruise control, pre-collision Assist with pedestrian detection, lane departure warning, lane-keeping aid and front and rear parking distance sensors.

Ford is currently trialling the E-Transit in the UK with corporate fleets such as Balfour Beatty, DHL Express, DPD and Ocado.

The manufacturer also demonstrated Ford Liive at the show through a series of screens highlighting the connectivity system’s claimed ability to increase uptime by an average of about 40%. Ford Liive links up the customer and dealership workshop with Ford technicians based at its Dunston hub.

Andy Paton, Fleet Aftermarket customer experience manager, said the technicians “can virtually see the vehicle in its journey through the workshop”.

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