Ford launches E-Transit for Australian market

The local arm of Ford has confirmed the E-Transit is on its way for the local market, as it makes its first step towards electrification.

A fully-electric version of Ford's iconic Transit van, the E-Transit, will kick start the Blue Oval's move towards electric vehicles locally – becoming the first of five such Ford products to launch in Australia by 2024.

Under the skin is a 68kWh battery, which powers the E-Transit's 198kW and 430Nm electric motor, making it the most powerful Transit on offer in Australia. Meanwhile, it is hoped its 317 kilometre driving range will suit a majority of urban commercial businesses.

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Featuring both AC and DC charging, the E-Transit's 11.3 kW on-board charger is capable of delivering a 100 per cent charge in up to 8.2 hours – while a 15 to 80 per cent state of charge is achievable in 34 minutes when utilising 115kW DC fast-charging.

Ford will offer the E-Transit with a gross vehicle mass of up to 4.2 tonnes and targeted payload of 1616kg, while its cargo capacity of up to 11.3 cubic-metres in mid-roof specification and 12.4 cubic-metres for the high roof are identical to the Transit 350L RWD diesel equivalents.

Commercial customers will be covered by Ford's eight-year/160,000-kilometre warranty for the battery and high-voltage electric components, as well as its five-year/unlimited-kilometre service offering.

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The introduction of the E-Transit is a part of Ford Australia's EV strategy to bring itself in line with the company's global goal to reach carbon neutrality by 2050, recently announcing a US$11.4 billion (AU$15.7bn) investment in building the Blue Oval City – a dedicated ‘mega campus’ for the production of electric vehicles.

“We are accelerating our electrified future in Australia,” said President and CEO of Ford Australia and New Zealand, Andrew Birkic.

“We are anticipating the needs of each type of customer and bringing the best of our global line-up to meet those requirements. For business customers, E-Transit delivers the durability and capability they need to serve their customers, along with zero emissions efficiency.”

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Ford will be installing charging stations at its facilities in Campbellfield, the YouYangs Proving Ground, and at the company’s new logistics hub at Merrifield – preparing for its extended range of electric vehicles to arrive in coming years.

Further pricing and features for the Ford E-Transit will be confirmed closer to its local launch in mid-2022.