In our first look at the 2022 Ford E-Transit van last year, we were told it’d come at “less than $45,000.” Consider that promise kept—barely. The E-Transit, a rear-drive van powered entirely by electrons, will start at $44,990. While that seems like a lot for an electric work van, a regular gas-fed Transit starts at $43,390, so, not far off.
Registration is now open for commercial customers who want to raise hands with an intent to purchase these Transit EVs. Ford claims that 450 commercial customers have “expressed interest” in acquiring these vans, although a rough estimate of how many vans these interested parties might order isn’t yet available.
We’ve already taken a detailed look at what the E-Transit has to offer, but as a quick refresher, this is going to be a big deal for Ford in the commercial space, and the company is going all-in. Its rear-drive powertrain utilizes Mach-E components for economy of scale, and produces a more-than-adequate 266 horsepower and 317 lb-ft of torque.
More importantly, there’s a 67-kWh battery pack below the cargo floor that should offer a maximum of 126 miles of range (on the low-roof variant—expect a lower figure for the higher-drag tall-roof versions). For skittish fleet managers, Ford is backing up the powertrain with an 8-year, 100,000-mile warranty. The vans top out at 3,800 pounds of payload, or 4,290 pounds for the cutaway/bare chassis versions.
For E-Transit operators with job site needs, the E-Transit can supply 2.4 kW of AC power for tools and what have you—that’s the same output as the standard generator on the F-150 PowerBoost Hybrid, though not quite the level of power that, say, that pickup’s optional 7.2-kW supply can pump out; consider it adequate for the van’s mission.
Ford estimates a 40 percent reduction in maintenance costs, so the E-Transit should be a very attractive vehicle for short-haul urban delivery duty—which, Ford claims, is an average of 74 miles of day for a typical commercial van. The E-Transit will be available in eight configurations—including three roof heights and three lengths—and Ford says its seeing healthy interest in all configurations.
The E-Transit will roll out with early adopters in a pilot program—essentially, a real-world beta test—with selected customers this summer, although more details aren’t available yet. The order books for this program will open in July. As for when the E-Transit will be available to other customers, we’ll just have to wait and see.
