Ford puts new focus on urban van driving with Transit City

Ford has expanded its line-up of electric vans with the new Transit City.

Building on the E-Transit Custom, the new Transit City is aimed at making ‘electric simple and efficient for urban businesses’, according to Ford. It’ll be offered in three bodystyles, with a standard compact model sitting alongside a high-capacity variant and a chassis-cab version for those looking to convert their own van.

However, all will get the same electric setup underneath. Ford’s analysis of ‘thousands’ of connected electric vans shows that drivers travel around 68 miles per day, which is why the Transit City’s 158-mile range is ‘double the distance’ that the Blue Oval’s ‘urban customers typically need’.

The Transit City also gets a 56kWh lithium-iron phosphate battery, which typically deliver long lifespans. Ford says that this type of battery is also better suited to frequent fast charges, ensuring that owners can quickly top up their vans multiple times a day without fear of battery degradation.

Equipped with a maximum charge rating of 87kW, the Transit City can be charged from 10 to 80 per cent in 33 minutes, or in 4.5 hours via a slower 11kW wallbox more typically found at domestic homes.

Ford also says that fewer moving parts means that the Transit City could bring a 40 per cent reduction in maintenance costs compared with a typical diesel model. Standard service intervals for the Transit City stand at two years or 24,800 miles.

All versions get a 12-inch touchscreen with both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard, alongside a full suite of assistance systems including Automatic Emergency Braking, front and rear parking sensors and adaptive cruise control.

Ford has yet to announce pricing for the new Transit City, though further details are expected to be released shortly.