The Ford E-Transit electric van and related variants will get an extended-range battery option which will enable the zero-emissions commercial vehicle to drive up to 186 miles (300 kilometers) on a single charge.
The new option, which will be offered alongside the current 126-mile (203-km) version, will be announced on May 11, as noted by Electrek, who got the scoop from Ford Pro’s CEO Ted Cannis at this year’s Advanced Clean Transportation (ACT) Expo in Anaheim, California.
According to the company’s chief executive officer, the lower-range model will remain on sale as a base variant for fleets that don’t want to pay for more than what they need.
Gallery: 2022 Ford E-Transit: First Drive
The new, higher-range E-Transit will also include a faster AC charger capable of delivering 19.2 kilowatts when connected to Ford’s 80-amp Charge Station Pro or any other charger capable of delivering enough current.
Details about the size of the battery haven’t been disclosed, but as Electrek notes, the Blue Oval carmaker might use the same pack from the base F-150 Lightning, or at least a similar battery, meaning the extended-range E-Transit should get around 100 kilowatt-hours. With a battery of this size, a full charge should take about five hours.
With a faster onboard charger and a bigger battery, the updated electric Ford Transit could be of interest to some construction fleets that have to move long distances from site to site occasionally, or other types of fleets that require less frequent charging.
Another target for the longer-range E-Transit might be the recreational vehicles segment, where the limited driving range of the currently-available electric Transit is often insufficient for RV enthusiasts who go long distances between stops. Winnebago’s eRV2 concept, for example, has an estimated range of just 108 miles (174 km), with the RV specialist saying that an owner should be able to drive at least three hours between charges.
With the bigger battery and longer range of the updated E-Transit, maybe this will become a reality, but we won’t know for sure until Ford spills the beans on May 11. So stay tuned to InsideEVs for updates.
In related news, the E-Transit reportedly racked up over 12 million zero-emissions miles in the US and Canada since February 2022, saving some 745,000 gallons of fuel that would otherwise be necessary to power gasoline-burning vans. It’s also the best-selling electric van on several continents.
As always, we’d like to know what you think about this, so head over to the comments section below to give us your thoughts.
