Ford Australia’s first fully electric vehicle has arrived in Australia and it’s not a passenger vehicle, but a delivery van.
As the name suggests the new E-Transit is based on Ford’s van of that name which has been on sale here since the 1970s.
The choice of a commercial vehicle makes a lot of sense, given that they typically spend most of their time moving around within urban areas, thus reducing the range concerns that hover over passenger vehicles.
Ford Australia says E-Transit forms an important part of Ford Australia’s electrification plans, with a plan to bring at least five electrified vehicles down under by the end of
2024.
Two E-Transit models will be available, the long-wheelbase 420L BEV Mid Roof and 420L BEV High Roof, with deliveries expected to start shortly.
Both E-Transits are powered by an electric motor delivering 198kW of power and 430Nm of torque, the highest power and torque outputs of the Transit range.
The electric motor is powered by a 68kWh lithium-ion battery pack.
The battery is located beneath the load floor in a sealed structure with side-impact protection as standard.
The EV motor is paired with a single-speed automatic transmission that sends power to the rear wheels.
Ford lists a maximum range of 307km for the Mid Roof and 295km for the High Roof.
Very sensibly the charge socket is located in the centre of the grille with a Mode 3, 32-amp charge cable supplied.
Flexible charging options allow customers to either AC charge overnight in about 8 hours or quick DC Charge Top Up (15 per cent to 80 per cent at 115kW) in approximately 34 minutes.
Maximum load space in the Mid-Roof model is 11 cubic metres, increasing 12.4 cubic metres with the High-Roof.
These areas are largely the same as conventionally powered Transits and many load area conversions will carry over to E-Transit with minimal modifications, making it easy to adopt an E-Transit into a business fleet.
Payloads are 1611kg with the Mid-Roof and 1566kg in the High-Roof.
Standard safety features include: Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) with Pedestrian Detection, Adaptive Cruise Control, Blind Spot Monitoring, Hill Launch
Assist, Intersection Assist, Lane Keeping Aid with Lane Departure Warning, Traffic Sign Recognition, Rear Camera, Rear Parking Sensors and Auto Hold.
Infotainment includes wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, built-In satellite navigation with live traffic, parking and weather updates, and available charging points.
E-Transit will be covered by Ford’s five-year, unlimited kilometre warranty which eight years and 160,000km coverage on the battery.
MODEL RANGE
E-Transit Mid-Roof: $104,900
E-Transit High-Roof: $106,400
Options:
Dual Side Load Doors: $1000
Prestige Paint: $700
Special Vehicle Paint: $1400
Single Front Passenger Seat (in lieu of Dual Front): $150
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