The Transit Custom is the darling of Ford, having secured its place in the history books as 2021’s best-selling vehicle in the UK. Yet the firm’s most important vehicle this year has to be the new E-Transit, Ford’s first electric commercial vehicle at a time when companies are looking to clean up their public images.
Unsurprisingly, Ford hasn’t held back: the E-Transit is now the most powerful large van on sale, thanks to a 265bhp motor, while even the lesser variant is punchy, with 181bhp. Both make a massive 318lb ft of torque.
The option of two power ratings is rare for an electric van, and rarer still is to offer multiple bodystyles, but the E-Transit has an impressive 25. Short, medium and long wheelbases, two roof heights and three different gross vehicle weights of up to 4.25 tonnes make it the most comprehensive electric van on the market. And there will also be chassis-cab and double-cab models, too.
One choice customers aren’t given is battery size. A 68kWh pack is the only option, giving a range of up to 196 miles. While that should be sufficient for most use cases, rapid-charging from a 115kW charger will fill it from 15% to 80% in 34 minutes.
Despite the heavy battery and big motor in the rear axle assembly, the E-Transit has a payload potential of up to 1758kg, with the 3.5-tonner able to move more than 1000kg. Load volumes go up to 15.1m3.
