There seemed to be a huge gap between Ford Pro announcing its entry to the electric van world to the vehicle being delivered to its first customers. But as you’d expect from the manufacturer of the UK’s best-selling vans the company made a huge effort to get the E-Transit right from the start. Our Van Expert Tim Cattlin gives us the low down on the large electric van from Ford…

To be fair to Ford, even though the E-Transit was a long time coming there hadn’t previously been too much activity from the competition in the large electric van sector. Some manufacturers such as Mercedes-Benz had dipped their toes in the water, but the products had a restricted range between charges, modest payloads, or both meaning that the sales achieved were relatively poor. The launch of the E-Transit with some pretty spectacular claims turned heads and set a new bar that any competitor needed to aim for.

Customers wanting to lease or buy a new electric van often have to make compromises when it comes to body derivatives in particular, availability being restricted compared to those in the diesel range. Not so with the E-Transit, the 25 combinations of length, height and weight being a close match, and the model range not being restricted to panel vans with double and chassis cabs being available from launch.

On The Outside

We’re all familiar with the shape of the Transit which has now been around for 10 years or so and Ford Pro had no reason to make major changes just to differentiate the E-Transit from its peers. It can however be identified by the three horizontal bars across the grill which are now coloured blue and badging on the rear door also makes a statement to those following in traffic that this is an electric version of the UK’s most popular large van.

The Cab

E-Transit has a spacious cab which is almost identical to the standard Transit with high quality, robust materials being used throughout. Cab storage has been well thought out, the dash having various areas where items can be placed together with decent sized door bins and an overhead tray.

The dash is dominated by a 12” touchscreen which provides access to Ford’s SYNC4 system. Along with the usual phone and multimedia controls including smartphone integration, vehicle systems can be accessed along with Normal, Eco and Slippery driving modes, optimising range or traction as required. Unlike some competitor vehicles, mode selection is retained even after the vehicle has been switched off so if there’s a preference to use the van in Eco mode, the driver doesn’t have to remember to select it each time.

Preconditioning the temperature of the cab whilst the van is on charge (optimising range) is controlled either from the touchscreen or remotely from the FordPass Pro smartphone app. Even the battery can have its temperature optimised prior to the start of the journey, increasing efficiency.

The clear, uncluttered instrument panel displays the amount of charge remaining, both in percentage terms and also miles that can be covered. A dial shows the rate that power is being used, or that is being returned to the battery during regeneration when driving downhill or when the van is slowing down.

There are just two levels of trim on the E-Transit. Leader includes air conditioning, Ford’s legendary ‘Quickclear’ heated windscreen, heated seats and a dual passenger seat offering stowage and a fold-out table. Trend spec adds cruise control, front and rear parking sensors, safety tech such as lane keeping alert and pre-collision assist and a hand-stitched premium steering wheel.

On The Road

A press of a ‘start’ button is accompanied by a few noises, indicating that the E-Transit is ready to go. The rotary drive selection control is located where the gear lever would normally be and once ‘D’ is selected, the van is off and running but with virtually no sound. My test van was the low-powered (!) 184hp version and, whilst gentle pressure on the accelerator led to drama-free driving, planting it to the floor gives stunning acceleration, the E-Transit hurtling forward at a more than impressive velocity. The 430Nm of torque, instantly available in full gives an experience that those who have spent their lives driving diesel vans will find game-changing.

Although the near silence offered by an electric drivetrain can often highlight other sources of noise, there is virtually no intrusion into the cab apart from a modest amount from the tyres depending on the road surface. This alone indicates the quality of build that Ford has put into the van.

My only gripe is the positioning of the SYNC4 screen. In a large van, a centrally mounted screen is always going to be a challenge for the driver to operate on the road but Ford Pro could have helped matters by angling it just a little toward the driver, something other manufacturers do. Presumably, designing a dash for a van that is going to be produced in left and right-hand drive form means that changes such as this could be costly, but it’s an irritation that could be easily removed.

Conclusion

The E-Transit has virtually all bases covered and even now, over 2 years since its launch other large van manufacturers are struggling to bring a van to market that can compete. Model choice, payload (on 4.25 GVM versions), power, range, it’s got the lot. It’s a truly excellent electric van.