Ford has announced that customer trials of its new electric E-Transit van will begin later this year.
The manufacturer says trials will be conducted across the supermarket, home delivery, postal, and utility sectors, across the UK, Germany, and Norway.
The trials, beginning in late summer, will form part of the E-Transit’s development programme ahead of its launch in spring 2022.
Ford’s engineers will use data from the trials to refine the E-Transit’s connected vehicle and range management features.
Prototype vehicles taking part in the trial will include panel van and chassis cab variants, with conversions including refrigerated bodies, box vans, dropsides and interior racking.
Ford says a total of 25 E-Transit variants will be available when the model launches.
The model’s expected payload is up to 1,616kg for panel vans and up to 1,967kg for chassis cabs, while the electric powertrain will offer up to 272hp, and a targeted range of up to 217 miles on the WLTP cycle.
A ProPower Onboard system will provide 2.3kW of power through standard plugs to power conversions and equipment in the cab and load area, and Ford’s Sync 4 infotainment system will offer cloud-connected sat-nav via a 12in screen.
E-Transit chief programme engineer 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.”