Ford has announced that the first European customer trials of its new E-Transit – the all-electric version of the van – are to begin in late summer this year.
Prototype E-Transit vehicles will join customer fleets to operate in real-world conditions in the supermarket, home delivery, postal services and utilities sectors across the UK, Germany and Norway.
Ford’s European customer trials form part of an extensive development programme for E‑Transit ahead of its launch in spring 2022.
Prototype vehicles taking part in the trial – assembled at Ford’s global commercial vehicle centre of excellence in Dunton, UK – feature 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 choice of body, length, roof height and Gross Vehicle Mass options from launch, with 25 possible variants.
E-Transit’s load area is common with diesel-powered Transit models for ease of conversion, and to allow 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 powertrain delivers up to 200kW of power for a targeted range of up to 217 miles, and Ford expects service cost of ownership to be about 40 per cent lower compared with internal combustion engine-equipped models, as a result of lower maintenance expenses.
Andrew Mottram, E-Transit chief programme engineer, Commercial Vehicles, Ford of Europe 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.”