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Ivan Gordiyenko - Last updated: August 6, 2022
Those lucky Europe folks have been getting electric vans for almost 10 years, but slowly and surely, the states will get theirs. The Ford E-Transit will be one of the very first electric vans on sale in North America (if you don’t count on the Ford Transit Connect Electric from about a decade ago).
I won’t be mentioning Rivians electric van, which at the moment is being gobbled up by Amazon to become their main delivery vehicle.
Let’s dive in the most frequently asked questions about the Ford E-Transit and get some more clarity on what one can expect when the delivery process begins.
Table of Contents
12 Most Frequently Asked Questions
When does the Ford E-Transit go on sale?
Production started in early 2022 for the 2023 model year and deliveries are to be expected closer to the end of 2022. As of late 2021, Ford announced they are completely booked out with reservations of the E-Transit.
How much does the Ford E-Transit cost?
Great question, there’s a few different price brackets. The Ford E-Transit Cutaway starts at around $46,295, followed by the Chassis Cab version starting at around $46,825 and ending with the Cargo Van version with a starting price of $50,185.
The strange thing is that on Fords website, they have a picture of a passenger version of the E-Transit, however after clicking on “Build & Price” button, you only get the commercial versions of the van.
What is Ford E-Transits Range?
Being a work van that is quite a lot heavier than many other electric vehicles, they require a bigger battery. The current version of the upcoming E-Transit will boast a 68kW battery that can give up to 128 miles of driving range (using the low-roof version). If you were to break down the overall average efficiency, that would come out to around 1.9 mi/kWh. Do keep in mind that these numbers often show an average from city and highway driving. If you do mostly city driving, expect numbers to be 10 to 20% better, possibly dipping into the 140-150 miles on a single charge territory.
A sub-question often asked is, will there a bigger option available?
According to Ford, they are not leaving this question out of the realm of possibility. It seems like after the initial launch, depending on the overall demand, they will provide bigger battery options.
Perhaps, the the same 98kWh pack that comes with the Ford F-150 Lightning?
How fast does the Ford E-Transit charge?
We are lucky to have almost no vehicles on the market that don’t fast charge, the E-Transit is no exception. With its 68kWh battery pack, at 110V, charging times will be anywhere between upwards of 50 hours (depending on the amperage).
Jumping to 220-240 volts, you can expect the charging speeds to increase quite significantly to 10.5kW-11.5kW, giving a full charge from 0 in as little as 6 hours. For charging speeds at Electrify America and soon, Fords own network, the vehicle can take up to 115kW of power. From about 15 to 80%, it could take just 34 minutes.
Does the E-Transit qualify for Federal Tax Credits?
That is a great question, the answer is 100% yes. Of course depending on your current tax situation, as of late 2022, you can receive a $7,500 tax credit on your income tax bill.
Will Ford provide a complimentary EV charger install for E-Transit owners?
While Ford does not offer (currently) any free charger installs, you can however find the best EV charger for your needs online. Some of the latest ones can charge upwards of 11.5kW. We wrote an article showing you how to install an EV charger at home (licensed electrician highly recommended).
What is the Ford E-Transit warranty?
I think we can all agree that Ford is no stranger to warranties, in fact most modern manufacturers have some good ones. In the case with the Transit, Ford offers a 100,000 mile or 8 years (whichever comes first). Ford outlines that this warranty covers all electrical components of the vehicle. There’s no doubt in my mind that you can buy an extended warranty beyond the coverage usage for this vehicle, especially if you plan on driving this vehicle far more than an average driver does.
What are the powertrain and performance specs of the E-Transit?
As I mentioned earlier, the battery pack in this van is 68kWh and that gives the vehicle an overall weight of 9,500 pounds (E-350 version). The horsepower rating is 266 and torque comes in at 317 lb-ft. Compared to the V6 base-model version of the gasoline powered Transit, the E-Transit has 75 lb-ft more (no surprise). The total kilowatt power output of the electric motor is rated for 198kW.
Many are wondering whether the vehicle will have AWD, the answer is no. Ford says the RWD only option is to improve traction and ride quality when payload is at its max.
Will the E-Transit receive OTA (over the air) Updates?
Absolutely, since most modern Fords have 4 or 5G LTE enabled and running at all times, the Sync 4 systems will be able to receive the Ford Power-Up Software Updates. Additional details regarding this will be announced at a later date.
What will happen if the Ford E-Transit runs out of charge?
That’s a great question, and this comes down to more of a general warranty coverage topic. Ford Roadside Assistance can cover you for up to 5 years or 60,000 miles. With this coverage, you’ll have the option to choose where you would like to charge within a 35-mile radius.
What is the towing capacity of the Ford E-Transit?
First of all, lets get out of the way the non-electric towing capacity of the transit, which is 4,400 pounds. While the E-Transit is almost identical in every way to the gas version, Ford decided not to rate the electric version of the transit for any towing capacity. While many may disagree with this official statement, battery electric vehicles, especially ones that have a fairly limited range, will have a drastic reduction in driving range. Driving at highway speeds, you can reduce the driving range from the projected 128 miles to as little as 50 to 60 miles.
This may just be a North America thing, but in Europe, the E-Transit is rated for up to 2,000 kilograms (about 2 tons).
Does the Ford E-Transit have onboard power?
While not quite up to par with the F-150 Lightning pickup, the E-Transit has 2,400-watt power connections that give you enough juice to power-up your tools and charge batteries, at the same time. This may be a far cry from the Lightnings 9.6 kW of output, but for starters, it should be just enough.
The Future Looks Convenient
Out of all the types of vehicles that should be electrified, work vans and work trucks should be on top of the list. The Ford E-Transit in most cases is a local driving vehicle that should serve most business owners and contractors.
I’m very excited to see how the full delivery process unfolds and what kind of experiences individual owners have. Being the first iteration of an electric van in the USA, it’s important to keep expectations leveled and have a bright outlook for the future.
