Ford’s all-electric Transit is finally working on European roads as customer trials commence ahead of the volume sales launch in spring 2022.
The trial kicks off with 10 E-Transit prototypes being put to the test across a variety of intensive real-world operating scenarios in the postal, municipal and utilities, last mile and grocery delivery sectors within Germany, Norway and the UK.
The trials fleet features a full range of E-Transit variants including van, double-cab-in-van and chassis cab derivatives with gross vehicle masses from 3.5 to 4.25 tonnes, and a variety of specialised vehicle conversions that reflect the complex operating requirements that Transit vehicles need to support.
The trials mark the latest phase in Ford’s development of the new E-Transit, following a demanding testing programme at Ford proving grounds and engineering facilities, according to Dave Petts, market lead, urban electrified vans, Ford of Europe.
“We want to demonstrate that helping customers reduce their environmental impact can go hand-in-hand with improving their productivity,” he said. “Real-world mileage in customer hands helps us to show the business benefits that E-Transit can deliver, as well as providing valuable feedback on usage patterns and charging behaviour so that we can refine the operating experience.”
As WhichEV reported, the E-transit will be equipped with a usable battery capacity of 67kWh offering an estimated driving range of up to 217 miles on the combined WLTP cycle. The vehicle’s electric motor will have a peak output of 198 kW (269 PS) and 430Nm of torque.
Among the trial partners are AWB waste disposal, Balfour Beatty, the City of Cologne municipal fleet, DHL Express in the UK, DPD, Norwegian Post, Ocado and Recover Nordic.