Ford is launching the new E-Transit Custom (from Ford Pro) in markets across Europe. The first E-Transit Custom models are set to reach dealerships in selected markets later this summer, followed by all markets in the EU in 2025.
Ford says E-Transit Custom is launching at a significant moment for electric vehicle (EV) adoption by small businesses; an upcoming report from the Centre for Economics and Business Research finds that the EV share of new van registrations in major markets saw a more than five-fold increase from 2018 to 2023. The report also details an increasing number of low-emission zones, which now number over 350 and cover over 80 million people, including every capital city in the EU.
Ford says E‑Transit Custom combines advanced electric vehicle technology with Ford Pro’s digital and physical platform of software and services to help businesses reduce cost of ownership, work more effectively, and simplify the transition to electric vehicles.
Supporting the launch of the new electric model, Ford Pro introduces an integrated home charging solution for businesses – featuring installation of a connected wallbox, management software and maintenance – which will be rolled out across major European markets.
To maximise productivity of van-dependent businesses such as those worth around €1 trillion to the EU and UK economy last year, the electric version of Ford’s one-tonne van offers ‘innovative new features designed around the needs of SMEs’. This includes standard 5G connectivity and features like the unique tilting steering wheel.
The electric powertrain supports a driving range up to 209 miles (337km) and two-year unlimited distance service intervals for enhanced cost of ownership, Ford says. There is also a lower load floor with enhanced access.
“Small businesses are the heart of Europe’s economy and essential to our communities – and many of them have come to rely on Ford vans. We’ve served those customers for over half a century; their insights have helped us develop electric, plug-in hybrid and diesel vans to suit customers in every trade and location, as well as supporting services designed to make big fleet‑level productivity achievable for small businesses without a fleet manager,” said Hans Schep, general manager, Ford Pro, Europe.
Already available to order, E-Transit Custom is now in production at Ford Otosan’s Yeniköy Assembly Plant in Türkiye. The new model joins Ford Pro’s electric van range for Europe alongside the larger E-Transit. The E‑Transit Courier compact van is scheduled for introduction in 2025.
Every E-Transit Custom is fitted with a 64kWh (useable) battery for a maximum driving range of up to 209 miles. Ford also says the E-Transit Custom is the first-ever electric vehicle to use ‘vapour-injected heat pump technology to heat and cool the cabin’, fitted as standard to all vehicles. This new system is designed to deliver improved energy efficiency for optimum driving range. Regenerative braking enables one-pedal driving for more comfortable urban driving and improved efficiency.
The drive motor is fitted directly to the rear floor and rotated 90 degrees to maximise loadspace and reduce weight and complexity. Customers can choose from 100kW or 160kW (135PS or 217PS) power outputs to suit their needs.
The battery is packaged into the load floor above the sill flange to eliminate the need for separate crash structures. For optimum space and weight efficiency, other underbody components are “shrink-wrapped” around the battery, Ford says.
Ford Pro estimates that E-Transit Custom will deliver lower operating costs compared to an equivalent diesel vehicle; for E-Transit, the reduction in servicing cost of ownership can be as much as 40 per cent, Ford maintains. Maintenance savings come from a two-year, unlimited distance service interval. There is an eight-year, 100,000-mile warranty which ‘covers all high-voltage components’.
