Ford announces its launch of the E-transit vans to customers across Europe. The shipping production units process started, and with this, the automaker is aligning its goals in electrification on a global level. Recently it separated its electric and combustion engine businesses into separate divisions.
Last year, Ford stated, “With its class-leading battery size, range, motor power and unique exportable power feature, the all-electric version of the world’s best-selling cargo van will offer unmatched performance. This capability is complemented by comprehensive support for vehicle charging, an enhanced level of standard equipment featuring the latest intelligent driver assistance and safety systems, and an entire integrated suite of software and services to optimize efficiency and cost of ownership.”
Ford says it received over 5,000 customer orders for the E-Transit in Europe alone before production began. The strong demand for the vehicles motivated Ford to reach “full mass production” of the E-Transit on the continent. Under its Ford Pro division, which handles commercial fleet management, the automaker continues to move forward with its transition to electric cars across the world.
Transformation
The new E-Transit is a key part of Ford Pro – the manufacturer’s new worldwide sales and servicing business centred around improving commercial vehicle customers’ productivity with cutting-edge products and services. “E-Transit is going to be a quantum leap for commercial vehicle operators. New connected services and advanced technologies will streamline customers’ businesses and supercharge their productivity as they make the move to fully-electric fleets,” said Hans Schep, general manager, Commercial Vehicles, Ford of Europe. “With pricing designed to remove any barrier to entry, E‑Transit is a truly compelling proposition for European businesses.”
Ford already had a notable base established for the E-Transit, as the gas version of the car is the world’s best-selling cargo van. The electrified version of the van “spearheads the launch of Ford Pro in the region; this new business offers customers a comprehensive suite of software, charging, servicing, and financing solutions fully integrated into a portfolio of world-class gas and electric vehicles to help improve productivity and uptime, lower costs, and facilitate access to everything operators need on one platform built for the electric and digital age,” Ford said.
“Production of E-Transit in our Kocaeli plant, where the electricity is supplied with 100 percent renewable energy, is a source of pride for us and another turning point in our increasing role in Ford’s electrification strategy,” GM of Ford’s Otosan Plant, Güven Özyurt, said. “We believe that electrification of the legendary Transit model is a major development and an important step for making Ford Otosan the production base of Ford electrified commercial vehicles.”
