Here come the EVs. Ford has just announced that there will be both an F150 EV and Transit van EV coming. This to go along with the all-electric Mustang Mach-E out later this year. Both will be available in 2022 and in the case of the Transit van will be available in quite a number of configurations. All will have access to the FordPass Charging Network which is the largest public network in the country.

All-electric commercial vehicles should see increased growth for automakers in the years ahead. Other manufacturers expected to have similar commercial EVs include GM, Tesla, and startups Rivian and Nikola. Amazon has already ordered 100,000 electric delivery vans from Rivian. 

The Ford Transit EV will come in a cargo van, cutaway, and chassis cab configurations

The Ford Transit EV will come in a cargo van, cutaway, and chassis cab configurations. There will also be three different roof heights and three different wheelbases. The cutaway versions are used by RV makers and the chassis cab for adding a cargo box, ambulance back, or other specialty add-ons. 

All of the EVs will be built in the US. The Transit EV will come with a FordPass Connect modem. It can be used for recording driver data as well as GPS tracking, geofencing, and vehicle diagnostics. Standard equipment includes the pre-collision assist package including automated emergency braking plus pedestrian detection, forward collision warning, post-collision braking, lane-keeping, and automatic high-beam headlamps.

These electronic advances are based on Ford’s upcoming new electrical architecture. It will be a key feature of the all-new F150 which will be unveiled July 25. Production will begin later this year. “The world is heading toward electrified products and fleet customers are asking for them now,” Ford COO Jim Farley said back in March. “We know their vehicles operate as a connected mobile business and their technology needs are different than retail customers. So Ford is thinking deeply about connectivity relationships that integrate with our in-vehicle high-speed electrical architectures and cloud-based data services to provide these businesses smart vehicles beyond just the electric powertrains.”

“Ford is electrifying and we’re a brand people trust”

Farley said today on CNBC, “We are No. 1 in the pickup and the van market in Western Europe and the US, and this is our chance. We are electrifying and we’re a brand people trust.” But by 2021 there will be a lot of all-electric pickups to choose from. 

GM is bringing back next year the Hummer as an electronic version of GMC’s pickup. It will also begin making an all-electric van in late-2021. Next year we will also be seeing Rivian products as well as the Tesla Cybertruck. Later this month Nikola will begin taking reservations for its Badger EV pickup truck.

Electrification of cargo vans is a great application for an EV. Working on planned routes they don’t pile up the mileage but instead make many stops in a single day. Adopting an electric delivery vehicle will greatly reduce the costs of operation. Businesses see that which is why Ford is hearing from them that they want electric options.