Just a couple months after sending the full-size E-Transit into production, Ford Pro Europe has taken the next step in its van electrification program. It's brought all-electric power down to the midsize segment with the new E-Transit Custom. Ford's one-tonne e-van will outdrive its larger sibling, motoring for up to 236 miles (380 km) of range per charge. It will also offer DC fast-charging and Pro Power Onboard exportable electricity when it goes into production next year.
Ford never shies away from pointing out that the Transit Custom is Europe's bestselling van. An all-electric version, then, represents a big step toward broader electrification of its commercial lineup and its goals of reaching zero emissions for all of European vehicle sales and full carbon neutrality across Europe by 2035. The E-Transit Custom is the next logical step after the Transit Custom PHEV and becomes the first of four new all-electric Transit vans that Ford plans to add by 2024. Others will include the pint-sized Transit Courier and Tourneo passenger van models.
Ford Pro didn't dive into many of the E-Transit Custom's mechanical specifics in today's announcement, saying that more details will follow in September. It did say that it's aiming for a 236-mile (380-km, WLTP) range per charge, a figure that surpasses the 197-mile (317-km) the full-size European E-Transit gets on the same WLTP cycle. It also says the E-Transit Custom will offer DC fast-charging, full towing capabilities and Pro Power Onboard for the off-grid powering of tools, lighting and other equipment.
As far as the E-Transit Custom's styling goes, it's some of the same and some different. The e-van has a recognizable size and shape to it but gains distinctive styling cues that differentiate it from ICE and PHEV Transit Customs. The biggest differences come at the front and rear ends, each illuminated by a distinctive set of double-LED-bar lamps. The narrow, squinting headlamps are particularly unique, while the tall lamps modernize the look of the rear-end. A new grille design up front replaces the slats of other Transit Customs, and a redesigned bumper completes the new face. Subtle 3D contouring on the sides adds definition you wouldn't find on the broad, flat van flanks so common in the 20th century.
Ford will begin production of the E-Transit Custom in the second half of 2023 at its upgraded Otosan facility in Kocaeli, Turkey. We'll look for further details about the battery, powertrain, available configurations, driver assistance and other technologies as September draws nearer.
Source: Ford Europe
