The 2024 Ford E-Transit Custom electric van is coming to Australia

The Ford E-Transit Custom electric van will be sold in Australia, the company announced today, but will not be available to commuter delivery drivers and environmentally friendly trades until 2024.

The electric E-Transit Custom will be Ford Australia’s third electrified model after the larger full-size E-Transit van (coming in late 2022) and the plug-in Ford Escape hybrid (coming out this month).

Ford already produces the Transit Custom petrol-electric hybrid (PHEV), which is sold in markets such as the UK and New Zealand, but not in Australia, where demand is proportionately lower.

Ford Australia has previously promised at least five electrified cars by the end of 2024. We look forward to the Mustang Mach-E and the promised hybrid Ranger …

E-Transit Custom is designed to set a “new benchmark” in the monochrome van segment and “help businesses effortlessly switch to electrified vehicles,” the company said.

“E-Transit Custom is the versatile, practical van that business customers are looking for, with zero-emission efficiency,” added Andrew Birkic, President and CEO of Ford Australia.

“We are focused on a deep understanding of the needs of commercial vehicle customers and providing them with the best of our global lineup.”

If the last quote is true, let’s also get this F-150 Lightning here, Mr. Birkic!

Early details of E-Transit Custom

Specific details about charging the E-Transit Custom battery and range were not mentioned in the press release.

Update: Ford says the target is a range of 380 km.

The company has indeed promised “intelligent software and connectivity tools” to maximize uptime (some versions of its Ford Pro business performance support ecosystem, no doubt).

In addition, “a convincing range, full towing capability and fast DC charging … to ensure a seamless customer experience” are promised.

While the side profile is familiar, there is a bold new grille design with full LED lighting that highlights it.

All Transit Custom variants will be produced by Ford Otosan – a joint venture in Turkey – at the site in Kacaeli.

The all-electric E-Transit Custom will go into production in the second half of 2023, and more product details will be revealed in September this year.

For context, the larger e-Transit (not to be confused with the E-Transit Custom discussed here) uses a 68 kWh battery, which is good for a range of up to 317 km with a more stringent WLTP test cycle.

We expected the E-Transit Custom range to be longer as it is lighter and more aerodynamic.

The single electric motor of the larger E-Transit produces 198 kW of power and 430 Nm of torque. In contrast, the standard Transit draws 125 kW and 390 Nm from its 2.0-liter turbodiesel four-cylinder engine.

The 11.3 kW full-size E-Transit on-board charger can provide 100 percent charging in 8.2 hours when using AC mains.

It can also be charged up to 115 kW with a fast DC charger, which means the battery can be charged from 15 to 80 percent in about 34 minutes.

Van segment

The growth of online retail and subsequent deliveries have helped to achieve record sales of medium-sized vans in Australia – in the bread market, where vendors such as Toyota HiAce are located.

VFACTS sales data show that the van market from 2.5 to 3.5 tons of GVM (which means the maximum allowable weight of the van and its load) had 25,983 sales in 2021.

This is a record for this segment since its inception in 2010.

Competition

The electric van segment is largely non-existent in Australia, except for the smaller and niche Renault Kangoo and BYD T3 EV cars. But that will change.

Mercedes-Benz Vans Australia will release its first three electric cars in 2022 and the fourth in 2024.

The eVito-sized Transit Custom panel van, eVito Tourer and EQV will appear in the second half of 2022, and the larger eSprinter is “scheduled for 2024 or around 2024” when the next-generation model becomes available.