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Ford has revealed its new E-Transit Courier electric city van in Europe, to compete with the small Peugeot E-Partner and upcoming Renault Kangoo E-Tech.
Snapshot
- Practical E-Transit Courier city electric van debuts in Europe
- Claims at least 35 per cent reduced maintenance costs than diesel
- Australian launch unclear
Based on Ford’s own ground-up electric platform that will be shared with the soon-to-be-unveiled all-electric Puma light SUV, the E-Transit Courier features 25 per cent more load volume than its predecessor.
Ford claims the 1220mm width between the rear wheel arches allows two Euro-size pallets to fit in the 2.9 cubic-metre cargo area, with a 700kg payload and 750kg maximum towing capability depending on the variant.
A new load-through bulkhead feature allows items more than 2600mm long, such as pipes and wood planks, to fit through into the cabin – but at the expense of the front passenger seat. This essentially extends the 1803mm-long cargo area to 2661mm.
The city-focussed van also has a 10.7-metre turning circle and overall length of under 4.4-metres.
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Charging
Full details haven’t been released yet – including driving range – but Ford has confirmed the E-Transit Courier will boast a 100kW electric motor, one-pedal driving capability, and a 145km/h top speed.
The Basics
- The E-Transit Courier can recharge at up to 11kW AC, which Ford is “targeting” to complete in 5.7 hours overnight on a compatible wall box.
- Up to 100kW DC fast-charging is expected to go from 10 to 80 per cent in less than 35 minutes, or top-up 87km of range in 10 minutes.
- In Europe, the van will have ‘Plug and Charge’ technology to start a charging session and credit the owner or fleet operator, without the need to fumble with a mobile app or RFID card.
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Tech and interior
Inside, the two-seat cabin is home to a new squircle-shaped steering wheel to improve leg room for the driver.
There's also a larger centre console with configurable storage and removable elements, and an optional Office Pack foldaway flat surface to put a laptop or A4-sized pad.
Additionally, the E-Transit Custom has a large 12-inch touchscreen running Ford’s latest Sync 4 operating system with wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto as standard. The driver is treated to a 12-inch instrument display.
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Ownership and safety
Ford claims the E-Transit Courier EV benefits from at least 35 per cent “non-scheduled maintenance” costs than the diesel-powered Transit Courier.
The urban-focused van is capable of wireless software updates, and fleet operators can remotely monitor or even disable the electric van to prevent theft or unauthorised use outside work hours via the Ford Pro software overseas.
It also boasts interior sensors, a perimeter alarm and double-locking door features to help prevent theft, with four optional lock packs to further bolster its security.
The electric commercial van includes safety assistance features including; front auto emergency braking (AEB), lane-keep assist, traffic sign recognition, speed limit assist, driver attention monitoring, auto high beam headlights, a reversing camera, and front and rear parking sensors.
An optional pack overseas adds; adaptive cruise control, lane-centring assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, front AEB with intersection detection, and rear AEB.
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Petrol and diesel Transit Courier
The Ford Transit Courier will still be available with traditional combustion engines, swapping the E-Transit’s front LED light bar and diamond grille for a more conventional look.
A 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol or 1.5-litre EcoBlue diesel engine can be had with varying power tunes in Europe. They’re matched with a six-speed manual transmission as standard, with a new seven-speed dual-clutch automatic available.
For Europe, it will be available in late 2023, ahead of the electric E-Transit.
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Will the Ford E-Transit Courier come to Australia?
The Ford E-Transit Courier will enter production later in 2024 at the company’s Romanian factory – which will be the same source for the forthcoming Puma EV.
A Ford Australia spokesperson told Wheels that it has “no news to share about any plans” to introduce the E-Transit Courier.
However, the local arm promised in 2021 to bring at least five electrified models by 2024, with the full-size Ford E-Transit landing later this month and the all-new medium E-Transit Custom van confirmed for next year.
It’s already launched the Ford Escape plug-in hybrid medium SUV and the Mustang Mach-E electric SUV will arrive later this year to directly compete with the popular Tesla Model Y, Kia EV6, and Volkswagen ID.4.
This leaves only one electrified Ford model still to be confirmed for Australia.
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