Ford Australia has announced an electrification strategy that will see at least five new electrified vehicles on the nation’s roads by the end of 2024. This will include a new Ford E-Transit van which the company says will debut in mid-2022.

The full-size E-Transit will begin to arrive with Australian customers in rear-wheel drive, 420L long wheel-base configuration, after the Escape PHEV makes its debut as Ford’s first locally available plug-in hybrid variant.

With a usable battery capacity of 68kWh, the rear-wheel drive E-Transit offers an estimated driving range of up to 317kms on the combined WLTP cycle, and the vehicle’s electric motor has a peak output of 198kW and 430 Nm of torque.

E-Transit’s drive modes include a special Eco Mode that provide between eight and 10 per cent improvement in energy usage if E-Transit is driven unladen, or at highway speeds. Eco Mode limits top speed, regulates acceleration and optimises climate control to help maximise the available driving range.

The vehicle also supports Scheduled Pre-Conditioning, enabling the climate control system to be programmed to adjust the cabin to the preferred temperature while the vehicle is still on charge, ensuring that the maximum driving range is available.

E-Transit features both AC charging and DC fast-charging. The vehicle’s 11.3kW on-board charger is capable of delivering a 100 per cent charge in up to 8.2 hours.

Charging with up to 115kW using a high-power DC fast-charger means the E-Transit can top-up the battery from 15 per cent to 80 per cent in around 34 minutes.

Cargo capacity is up to 11.3 cubic metres in mid-roof specification and 12.4 cubic metres for the high roof version, both of which are identical to the Transit 350L RWD diesel equivalents. Gross vehicle mass of up to 4.2 tonnes is offered, with a targeted payload of 1,616 kg.

Customers will get Ford’s five-year, unlimited kilometre service offering that sits alongside the eight-year, 160,000 km warranty package for the battery and high-voltage electric components.

Full model specification and pricing details for the E-Transit will be announced closer to its Australian market launch.

Ford Australia is collaborating with electric vehicle charging infrastructure supplier JET Charge to ready its dealer network with charging infrastructure, as part of a launch framework that includes in-house training programs, a select network of dealers with specialist EV workshop equipment and end-user maintenance routines in readiness for the first vehicles to arrive.

Ford says its sites will play a role in helping the company to achieve its global ambition of carbon neutrality, including Ford’s new parts and logistics hub at Merrifield in Victoria, and Ford plants around the world, which are targeted to run off 100 per cent local renewables by 2035.

The company adds that while addressing climate change through its product line-up is a key focus, it also aims to use recycled and renewable plastics in vehicles, work towards true zero waste to landfill across operations, and phase out the use of freshwater in manufacturing operations.

VIDEO: FORD’S E-TRANSIT VAN

Source: Motor Trader e-Magazine (October 2021) 

20 October 2021