The commercial vehicle market is no exception as the world moves towards sustainable mobility. That's why Ford Pro, Ford's commercial vehicle division, has unveiled the latest addition to its electric lineup: the Ford E-Transit Courier. Manufactured at the Ford Otosan Craiova plant in Romania, the all-new E-Transit Courier is a fully electric, connected, compact commercial vehicle that offers enhanced productivity, easy-to-set-up cargo space, and access to connected Ford Pro services.
The E-Transit Courier is set to debut at the Birmingham Commercial Vehicle Show in the UK from April 18-20, and it's scheduled to go into production in 2024. But that's not all; customers will be able to order petrol and diesel versions from the summer of 2023, with deliveries scheduled to begin by the end of the year.
So, what makes the E-Transit Courier a game changer for compact commercial vehicles? For starters, it has been completely redesigned around a larger and more easily configurable cargo area, offering 25% more cargo volume than the previous model, including increased payload and space for two euro pallets. The width between the rear wheel arches is 1,220 mm, allowing the compact van to carry two Euro pallets for the first time. The total cargo volume is now 2.9 m3, which can be further enhanced using the new bulkhead loading feature, allowing customers to transport items such as planks or pipes over 2,600mm in length. The maximum payload for the all-electric van model is 700kg, with a maximum towing weight of 750kg.
Moreover, the Ford E-Transit Courier offers uncompromising EV performance thanks to its powerful 100 kW motor and One-Pedal driving capability. The full technical details of performance and autonomy will be confirmed at a later date. The AC charging speed is 11kW, with a full charge taking 5.7 hours, making it a practical option for customers who charge at their own locations. The Ford E-Transit Courier electric van also offers a DC fast charging capacity of up to 100 kW, capable of adding 87 km of range in 10 minutes and charging from 10 to 80% in less than 35 minutes.
The E-Transit Courier also comes with one year of free access to the Blue Oval charging network, which is set to include 500,000 public charging points across Europe by 2024. The Plug and Charge system allows E-Transit Courier owners to plug their cars into charging stations in the Blue Oval network, and away they go, with connection, authentication, and automatic payment.
The new model offers a very comprehensive standard equipment specification, including unique cabin features such as the 'squircle' steering wheel, which improves legroom and visibility for the driver, steering column-mounted gear selector, push-button start, and a handbrake electrically actuated to provide increased configurable storage space. The screen area inside, called "Digiboard," is composed of a digital instrument panel with a 12-inch screen and a central 12-inch touch screen, on which we find the latest generation of Ford's SYNC 4 multimedia system. The subscription-based navigation system with online connectivity can increase productivity and reduce driver workload with updates on traffic, parking, loading, and local traffic hazards. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay wireless compatibility is standard.
