Many years from now I expect we will look back at news such as today’s and wonder “why did it take so long” but better late than never Ford is entering the electric market for transit vans in a major way. While they certainly have some ground to make up to be on par with Mercedes-Benz there’s little doubt that their initial foray into the EV (cargo) market will only grow in the years ahead.
The all-electric version of the popular Ford Transit Van is expected to debut during Q4 2021, so if all goes to plan about 12 months from the time that I write this. I would anticipate that inroads in the European & Asian markets will be rapid but it might also be a game-changer in the fleet market here in the USA. Ford has a global goal of carbon neutrality by 2050 (yes that sounds futuristic but it’s now less than thirty years away) and the sizeable transit van market will be key to making headway especially as e-commerce looks set to grow ominously in the short and long term.
The imaginatively monikered 2021 E-Transit, will go on sale next year with prices starting at under $45,000 in the US. Importantly the electric version will offer the exact same cargo space as the current version. Numerous versions of the van will hit the market and base versions will have a chargeable range of about 125 miles which will make it ideal for high-density cities such as New York, Philadelphia, Boston and Chicago to name just a few. The timing might be vital to Ford to make good on this deadline as Mercedes-Benz might be bringing their electric version of their Sprinter to US shores at almost the exact same time. I sincerely hope that in the years ahead that e technology and abundant charging stations will mean that our expedited freight services can be performed by electric vans over lanes that run many hundreds of miles.
Some additional (curious) images of the E-Transit here.
Image | Ford