Ford E-Transit Custom: the official electric van for 2023

Following the Ford E-Transit, its smaller commercial sibling the E-Transit Custom for professionals aims to compete with electric vans with a payload capacity of one ton.

Lagging behind its competitors, Ford is accelerating significantly in electrification. Mercedes-Benz eVito and the trio of Peugeot e-Expert, Citroën ë-Jumpy, and Opel Vivaro-e launched ahead of the American brand. And the Volkswagen ID.Buzz Cargo, which is now a partner of Ford. In fact, this week’s news originates from the collaboration between these two major automakers.

A van primarily designed for electric power

The Ford E-Transit Custom electric is therefore the second utility vehicle in the lineup. It follows the large electric E-Transit van, developed internally through its Turkish subsidiary Ford Otosan.

Smaller and in the intermediate category of vans, the E-Transit Custom is built on a Ford platform. This choice is unusual, considering that an electric MEB platform for the ID Buzz was available. It could also have been based on the Transporter, which can accommodate plug-in hybrid versions, but not fully electric variants. However, the German automaker will eventually adopt the Ford platform for its future generation.

To convert the Ford E-Transit Custom— which will also be available with a combustion engine— to electric, the brand again relies on its Ford Otosan subsidiary. The van will be produced at the Kocaeli plant in northwestern Turkey. This site recently received a €2 billion investment to adapt its vehicle production toward electric models.

380 km range for the Ford E-Transit Custom

Regarding the battery, no exact capacity has been announced, but the range is expected to be 380 kilometers. This is more than Stellantis (up to 330 km), but less than the ID Buzz claiming 420 km. The supplier is the Korean company SK On, significant in Asia, but manufacturing will be European in the long run. A partnership plans to build a new factory in Ankara by 2025.

The batteries, which produce NMC (nickel manganese cobalt) type cells, will have an annual capacity of 30 to 45 GWh. This factory will supply other electric utility vehicles planned for 2024. Ford is counting on three other utility models: the E-Tourneo Custom shuttle version, the small E-Transit Courier (based on VW), and its minivan variant the E-Tourneo Courier.

However, patience is required for today’s new release. The Ford E-Transit Custom will only be available in the second half of 2023. The brand will unveil more details and specifications about the electric van next September.

Also read: Renault Trucks unveils 2 trucks and a fully electric range