Ford E-Transit review

The first Ford battery-electric van is now on sale in the UK and brings zero-emissions propulsion to the nation’s biggest-selling vehicle, the Ford Transit. The question is how quickly operators who have been using traditional combustion-engined Transits as their reliable workhorses for many decades will be encouraged to join the move to electric and invest in the E-Transit.

Ford itself admits the electric Transit, and the E-Transit Custom – its smaller sister coming in 2024 – will not be for every operator. Indeed a central plank of the Ford Pro programme, launched at the 2022 CV Show and intended to offer a full support suite for LCV users, is dedicated to establishing whether the E-Transit is suited to an operator’s workload and for those that are, smoothing out the challenges of adoption.

Several operators are already taking the plunge, however. Ford expects to have 5,000 examples of the E-Transit available in the first year and already has around 1,500 fleet orders with a heavy slant towards delivery operators – DPD is taking 1,000 vehicles and DHL, Speedyhire and Ocado also putting their money down.

How does it look?

The electric model has taken the standard rear-drive Transit chassis as its start point, and undergone significant modifications, extending to the fitting of independent rear suspension with coil springs. This is mounted on a new heavy-duty crossmember which also carries the electric motor, but it’s all hidden from view – visually the E-Transit appears no different to any other version of Ford’s seminal van, whether outside or in.

In fact apart from the badging there is only one external clue to the E-Transit’s propulsion, a flip-up panel behind the Ford badge on the ‘bonnet’, which conceals the electric charging point. This accepts a 115kW DC fast charger, allowing a charge from 15% to 80% in 34 minutes, and an AC supply for overnight charging over a period of eight hours.

The charging point’s location will not suit everyone, with some operators indicating they would have liked a second rear-mounted supply allowing a vehicle to be backed into a loading bay and charged from a point attached to said bay. This problem is not, however, Ford’s but the EV industry as a whole. There is no standard and some vehicles have their sockets mounted at the side, some to the rear, others like the Ford at the front – something that is particularly frustrating companies trying to set up independent charging stations in a similar format to filling stations.

What can you get in it?

The E-Transit is on offer in three lengths and two heights, and with Gross Vehicle Mass (GVM) from 3.5 to 4.25 tonnes and a max gross payload of 1758kg. By concealing all the electric hardware and particularly the battery packs under the load floor, Ford is able to claim exactly the same capacities for the electric model as are offered by the rear-wheel-drive versions of its combustion-powered sisters – no compromise on load space, loading height or access, with the E-Transit fitted with the same side and rear cargo doors of other models.

L2 versions have a load space of 9.5m³, with a usable load length of 2.9 metres and 1,786mm loading height in the lower H2 roof variant. Choose the 2,025mm load height of the H3 roof and capacity goes up to 10.7m³. Choose the L3 and the usable load length increases to 3,350mm and capacity to 11m³ (H2) or 12.4m³ (H3).

The L4 version, with a usable length of 4,073mm, is only available with the H3 roof, and will swallow 15.1m³ of goods. There is also a double-cab model, available only in L3/H3 format and the range will also include chassis cabs for the converters, while Ford will no doubt be considering further expansion of the options on offer.

What is the spec like?

The E-Transit is on offer in either Leader or Trend grades, and while these are the first two of the four trim levels available across the Transit range, Ford does not intend its new electric addition to be seen as a base model, promising significantly more equipment than in equivalent diesel versions.

Prices start from £48,045 (plus VAT) for a Leader in L2/H2 size, rated at 3.5 tonnes and with the lower-power motor. Standard features include electronic climate control, keyless starting, heated seats and powered mirrors, a quick-clearing windscreen and Ford’s latest Sync 4 connectivity system activated by a 12-inch touchscreen.

Trend models, just under £4,200 more than Leader equivalents, add Ford’s Connected navigation system, cruise control and extra safety features including pre-collision assistance with pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning and lane-keeping aids, plus parking sensors on both front and rear.

Like all Ford vans the E-Transit is modem-fitted which enables access to the Ford Pro services, many of which come free for customers and encompass everything from telematics to charging assistance.

What’s the E-Transit like inside?

Climbing into the E-Transit cab one is presented with an overall impression familiar to users of combustion-engined Transits – the seats are comfortable and they and the steering wheel easy to adjust for comfort, while the exterior view on all sides is excellent – especially if one specifies the optional digital rear view mirror, more on which shortly.

While the driver’s digital display reflects the electric drivetrain with the traditional rev counter display replaced by a dial showing where the electric power is going, the major differences are in the centre. There is no gear lever, this replaced by a simple rotary dial while the console is dominated by the 12-inch touchscreen of the Sync 4 connectivity system.

With Sync 4 Ford really is embracing the smartphone generation, assuming that users of the E-Transit will be happy to use the touchscreen to control, well virtually everything in the van. As well as all the usual things one expects from an infotainment screen, navigation, entertainment, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and such, the system accesses a host of fleet-specific telematics services, and in particular EV-specific needs such as charging stations – where charging points are, how many are available when the driver asks, even how to pay for them.

Sync 4 also sets van driving modes, as well as pre-conditioning (warming) the battery to help charging and maintain the range on early-morning starts and more. Even the quartet of buttons under each central air vent on a standard Transit are absent on the electric variant, their functions transferred inside Sync 4, Ford telling us there was a deliberate intention to minimise the number of buttons in the cabin.

The cargo space is efficient, as one would expect from Ford, with a good flat floor and low loading height. The E-Transit is available with the Pro-Power onboard system to power electric equipment mounted in the cargo bay and customers can specify two 240-volt sockets in the rear alongside the one fitted in the front. Some body converters have expressed concerns as to how using such a system will effect vehicle range, but through Sync 4 the driver can set how much charge Pro-Power uses to ensure they are not stranded.

What’s under the bonnet?

Well this is of course a misnomer, as the answer is basically nothing – the electric drivetrain of the E-Transit is mostly concealed under the loadspace floor and in the rear axle.

The motor can either be specified with an output of 135kW (184hp) or 198kW (269hp), both having the same torque level of 430Nm. They are powered by a battery pack of 68kWh usable capacity, and Ford claims that this is good enough for a WLTP-certified range of up to 196 miles between charges – obviously in real-world use you will likely not travel quite so far before plugging in a charging lead to that front-mounted socket.

Charging from 15 to 80% capacity takes 34 minutes using a 115kW DC fast charger. Charge the van overnight from a 230-volt AC supply and you will need around eight hours. As mentioned much of the new Ford Pro suite of assistance programmes for operators has been inspired by the launch of the E-Transit, and this includes a full programme of charging support, ranging from ensuring an operator chooses the right charging solutions for their business to helping drivers locate and use suitable public chargers when on the road.

What is the Ford E-Transit like to drive?

We were able to try out versions of the E-Transit in both power outputs, plus a version loaded with a half-ton payload, and the overwhelming impression was just how easy a vehicle this is to drive. Push in the button just right of the steering wheel to release the handbrake, gentle press the accelerator and the vehicle glides away, almost silently – the absence of any extraneous noises in what is a big sound-enhancing metal box is quite surreal.

With both power outputs offering the same, instantaneous torque level there doesn’t feel that much to choose between them. There is plenty of propulsion and the van accelerates smoothly and without the slightest fuss. Ride quality is good while the steering is surprisingly light for something so substantial, but not overly so – a car user stepping behind the wheel might be pleasantly surprised – the E-Transit doesn’t feel as big vehicle to drive as it is.

Such steering prowess makes the vehicle easy to manoeuvre in tighter spaces, aided by large dual mirrors giving an exemplary view either side. However we’d definitely recommend going for one item on the options list, even if it is £685 plus VAT. The digital rear-view mirror, making use of a camera mounted on the tail, gives a much better view behind the van than any normal mirror could, no matter what the weather or lighting conditions – and of course with most vans having bulkheads and steel rear doors you don’t normally get a rear-view mirror, so this is a major safety extra.

In normal use the E-Transit performs a level of battery regeneration when coasting, as is typical of electric vehicles, and it also includes a mode to maximise this effort. You can double-tap the brake pedal to enhance regeneration, but pressing the ‘L’ button on the centre dial makes it a permanently-on feature producing a distinct slowing every time one lifts off the accelerator. This makes it easy to drive the van virtually as a single-pedal vehicle, letting the regeneration slow it and only gently touching the brake to bring it to a halt.

Verdict

The Ford E-Transit is an impressive vehicle that really brings the move towards electric into the mainstream. While the likes of Maxus and Mercedes-Benz have been pursuing an electric agenda, the fact that the biggest-selling light-commercial vehicle by far is now available with an electric drivetrain significantly adds to the creditability of electric LCVs – particularly as the Ford is an effective, practical vehicle that could indeed prove a reliable workhorse for many businesses.

No, the E-Transit will not be for everyone – for example you won’t see it being converted into minibuses just yet. But it is set to become a significant player, perhaps the most significant, in the market – there are likely to be many operators for the first time seriously thinking that they can go the electric route.

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Citroën E-Relay | Maxus eDeliver 9 | Mercedes-Benz eSprinter | Peugeot e-Boxer | Renault Master E-Tech | Volkswagen I.D. Buzz Cargo

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