(March 3) Ford announced that it will be producing an all-electric version of the popular Transit cargo van for US and Canadian markets. The van is scheduled to be released by 2021.
Many details about the van were not given
Ford did not say what the battery pack size of the van would be nor its estimated range on a charge. None of its performance characteristics were provided. Ford had previously announced back in 2019 that there would be all-electric Transit van for the European market. The company expects to launch the van in Europe by 2021 as part of the company's electrification program.
The announcement did indicated that the van will come with a 4G LTE hotspot and will also have a number of tech features that are designed for managers of fleets. This includes live GPS tracking and diagnostics. The van will also come with safety and drive assistance features. These will include collision warning and assist, automatic emergency braking, automatic lane-keeping and also pedestrian detection.
Ford also announced that at this time it had no news about an electric version of its Transit passenger van at present.
Ford's Transit van best-selling cargo van in the US
Even so, it is facing increased competition during the last several years from Germany's Mercedes-Benz's Sprinter van. There are already two electric versions of the Sprinter.
Mercedes electric Sprinter van
One electric version of the Sprinter has a 55kWh battery that can travel 168 kilometers or 104 miles on a full charge. It has a payload of 891 kilograms or 1,964 pounds. However there is also another version with a smaller 41kWh battery that can go just 115 kilometers or 72 miles on a charge. Yet this version can carry up to 1,045 kilos or 2,304 pounds. Both versions have the same storage space, 10.5 cubic meters or 370.8 square feet.
Mercedes Benz also announced an electric only vehicle (EOV) for more everyday use. It will be slightly smaller than the Sprint and will have a much longer range of 249 miles from a larger 100kWh battery that provides up to 200 horsepower. It also sports the company's MBUC infotainment system.
Other competitors and Ford
Rivian an EV startup has a contract to build 100,000 electric delivery vans for Amazon over the new few year. Ford has invested $500 million in the company which is helping to build a luxury electric SUV which will have the Lincoln brand. Ford is also collaborating with Volkswagen to produce vans after they formed a global alliance early in 2019. The appended video shows some of the all electric vans available.
Previously published in the Digital Journal
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