Ford has confirmed that an all-electric version of its hugely popular Ford Transit van will be unveiled as the e-Transit on 12 November.
The reinvented Transit will be made in the US, most likely at a new purpose-built EV production facility in Michigan, and forms part of the company’s $11.5 billion (£9bn) global electrification strategy.
A preview shows that, in panel van form, the new Transit will largely retain the silhouette of the current model, but - as is usually the case with electric versions of combustion vehicles - it will likely feature a blanked-off grille and bespoke lighting clusters.
We’re electrifying the future for business. The zero-emission all-electric #Ford E-Transit, coming soon. Learn more 12.11.20. #EV pic.twitter.com/KqsjoGQcO5
— Ford Europe (@FordEu) October 29, 2020
Ford previously revealed that, like the current Transit, the electric version will be available to buy in van, truck and cutaway cab forms. Buyers can also choose from three body length and roof height options.
It is not yet known precisely what will power the electric Transit, although it can be expected to share some hardware with the recently revealed Mach-E electric SUV.
Ford has confirmed that the new Transit will offer enhanced connectivity functions over the current van, with a number of features aimed at reducing waste and improving fleet efficiency. In-built 4G functionality allows fleet managers to access live location and fault diagnostic data, as well as imposing virtual perimeters and monitoring driving behaviour.
The commercial vehicle will be sold as standard with a suite of advanced driver assistance programmes, including automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, lane-keep assist and automatic high-beam headlights.
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£60k
Considering the £40k+ price of the plug-in hybrid version, no doubt the EV version will be even more obscenely expensive.
Lets see just how well it works in practice...
Yep, i can picture a battered version as a builders truck in 4 years being charged on site from a diesel generator..... Or, a the conversation with a client wanting an urgent delivery to the other end of the country "sorry, my van needs 4 hours to charge" or "none of the charging points at the M/way services are working - only have 20 miles left in the batteries" .....
Question.
Why is it not getting built here?, didn't Ford.UK come up with the Transit Van?, and, in America, there spending millions on a dedicated Factory to build them, just shows you how bad the Coun has gotten.
Peter Cavellini wrote:
Ford haven't built anything in the UK for years (Transits are built in Turkey).
It will be interesting to see how this compares with PSAs and MB electric vans (when it eventually reaches us).