Ford has unveiled its fully electric E-Transit Custom, which arrives in 2023 and will bring a targeted range up to 236 miles, enabling fleets running one-tonne vans to go electric.
The successor to the current best-seller, it’s a major part of the brand’s plans to have five electric commercial vehicles on its books by 2024, supporting Ford’s pledge to go all-electric for passenger cars in Europe by 2030 and carbon neutral across its European footprint by 2035.
As with the newly launched E-Transit two-tonne van that’s starting to be shipped to fleets, it will be built at the upgraded Ford Otosan facility in Kocaeli, Turkey, alongside the new Volkswagen Transporter under Ford and VW’s expanding global cooperation work.
It will be sold under the Ford Pro business launched last year to provide fleets and businesses with an integrated CV offering of vehicles, software and connected services, helping them improve productivity and uptime and lower costs.
Part of the most extensive Transit Custom range ever offered to European customers, the E-Transit Custom is said to set a “distinctive new design benchmark in the one-tonne segment”, thanks to its “rebalanced proportions” and confident stance. It will sit under 2.0m high so it can access multi-storey car parks, and will feature full LED lighting.
Technical details have not been announced yet, but the E-Transit Custom is an all-new product from the ground up and will use an all-electric architecture to deliver a targeted driving range of up to 236 miles. All models will be rear-wheel-drive with coil spring independent rear suspension – which marks a first for the brand – and an e-axle incorporating the electric motor and final drive. In the case of E-Transit, the setup provides the option of either a 184hp or 270hp electric motor, both generating 430Nm of torque, and powered by a 68kWh capacity battery.
For the E-Transit Custom, the charge port will be on the front wing, not the grille as it is with the E-Transit. Charging details are yet to be announced but the E-Transit Custom will deliver DC fast-charging and full towing capability. As with the E-Transit, it will also provide the Pro-Power Onboard feature, which uses some of the battery capacity to provide exportable power for tools, lights and devices while vehicles are onsite.
It will also be supported by the full Ford Pro ecosystem of software and services, including charging and financing solutions – providing a one-stop shop approach.
“This is a watershed moment for commercial vehicle operators in Europe, and another hugely significant realisation of our Ford Pro ambitions,” said Hans Schep, general manager, Ford Pro, Europe. “Europe’s best-selling van just went all-electric and – supported by our unique Ford Pro one-stop-shop of productivity-boosting services – the operating benefits this will bring to business across Europe cannot be overstated.”
The E-Transit Custom will enter production in the second half of 2023. Further product details will be released in September this year.
Ford’s plans to have a five-strong electric van line-up by 2024 will also include an electric version of the Transit Courier van, as well as Tourneo Custom and Tourneo Courier models.
