The new mid-sized Ford E-Transit Custom is the electric successor to the UK's best-selling vehicle, bringing a bold new look and a range of up to 236 miles.
Revealed today ahead of production getting under way at the Ford Otosan plant in Turkey in the second half of 2023, the new E-Transit Custom is the second of five all-electric commercial vehicles Ford will launch in Europe by 2024, following hot on the heels of the full-sized Ford E-Transit.
The E-Transit Custom is also the first new model revealed since Ford hived off its commercial vehicle operations into the dedicated Ford Pro division.
It will be built alongside an electric version of the next-generation Volkswagen Transporter, as part of an agreement between the two firms that sees Volkswagen commercial vehicles use Ford underpinnings and gives Ford access to VW's MEB platform for passenger EVs.
Unlike its larger E-Transit sibling, the new arrival takes a distinctly different design approach to the existing, combustion-powered Ford Transit Custom, which last year outsold the UK's best-selling car, the Vauxhall Corsa, by a comfortable margin of around 25%.
Ford highlights the "rebalanced proportions" of the EV, which give "a confident stance" that will "set a distinctive new design benchmark in the one-tonne segment".
The overall treatment is familiar, but a completely new front-end look brings the E-Transit Custom into line with the latest Ford Fiesta, Ford Focus and Ford Tourneo Connect. A prominent hexagonal 'grille' panel is flanked by slim, angular LED lights and topped by a wraparound daytime-running light, while the charging point has been integrated on the front right-hand side.
Ford has yet to reveal the interior or give full technical specifications but says the battery will be capable of DC fast-charging and the powertrain will allow for "full towing capability". It says the van has been designed to "help businesses across the region to effortlessly make the change to electrified vehicles".
Join the debate
Add your comment
Handsome-looking thing. Just right to use for my next mobile photoshoot van.
So the VW Ford love in means Ford do the commercials and VW do the cars.... why is the new Transit Connect based on a caddy van??
VW are scoring an own goal getting into bed with Ford for their Transporter T7.
Tradesmen pay a premium for a van that doesn't look like a rusty shipwreck after 4 years, and doesnt feature 'unique' engineering solutions such as the cambelt-in-oil Ford engines. I'll go for a Vito for the next van (assuming it isnt some re-hashed Renault derivative).